


Back to the start (HIATUS to be back revised)

by MadamRegal



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), SwanQueen - Fandom
Genre: Angst, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-05
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-14 00:29:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/830616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadamRegal/pseuds/MadamRegal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Regina!" Emma screamed, pushing the other woman off the creature's sight and at the same time was pulled inside the vortex. Regina tried to move away from the open void while Snow ran fast to jump after Emma only to stumble into Regina, pushing her inside the portal too. Charming and Snow did try to follow their daughter, but only found the floor. The portal was already closed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Forest

**Disclaimer:** _Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and all the characters belong to ABC and the creators. No copyright infringement intended._

**Prologue**

As soon as Emma touched Regina's upper arm, she felt it; the tingling sensation in her hands filling every inch of her and moving in slow currents, she felt the energy floating from the other woman's body straight to her own. Regina quickly turned her head up looking into Emma's startled green eyes. Their gaze locked together for just a moment. Regina had most _definitely_ felt it too. Emma gasped and pulled her hand away, wanting nothing but to break the contact between them, she stood up abruptly, moving away from the brunette as the hat started spinning. Suddenly, a dark purple smoke filled the place and what looked like a portal opened up in front of them. There was not enough time to think about what had just happened as Emma looked up to find the Wraith atop of them.

"Regina!" Emma screamed, and acting out of instinct, pushed the older woman off the creature's sight and felt an instantaneous rush of relief when she saw the Wraith being sucked into the portal. But in what seemed like a split of a second, something wrapped around her ankle and she was pulled into the purple vortex, disappearing almost immediately.

David screamed out for his daughter as Regina tried to move herself away from the opened void. At the same time, Snow ran fast to jump into the portal after her long lost child but stumbled into a walking Regina, pushing the older woman inside the hollow near them. Everything else happened too fast: Snow White and Prince Charming tried effortlessly to get into the portal to follow the women, but they simply jumped on top of the hat and fell to the ground with a heavy thump.

The portal was already closed.

**Chapter one: The Forest**

The wind was icy cold and noisy against the trees, but apart from that, there was silence. Emma opened her eyes slowly, she had no idea where she was, and all she could tell was that she was lying down. It was pitch black all around and the blonde had to blink a few times to adjust her eyes to the lack of light surrounding her. She placed a hand on top of her head; it was hurting, she had probably bumped against something before falling to wherever she was.

"Ouch…" she whimpered, looking back at her hand, it was dirty with a mix of blood and mud. Emma sat up slowly, glancing around; all she could see ahead of her was darkness and large trees. She was in the middle of a forest.

As soon as she tried to get up, Emma noticed how much her body was hurting, and it took her a few moments before she could stand up completely. The woman took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly, trying to concentrate on what had happened to her and where she was exactly. It wasn't the forest in Storybrooke, of that she was sure, but where was it? She had no idea.

Emma wrapped her arms around her body, in hope that would warm her up a little. She glanced around one more time, wondering why she couldn't hear anything apart from the wind and the sound of her own breathing.

All of a sudden she heard a movement behind her, which caused her to look over her shoulder, eyes narrowing so that she could take a glimpse of what it was. Someone else was there. Emma cautiously moved a step closer into the blackness and instantly recognized who it was. Regina Mills – and a tree on top of her.

Emma rushed to the other woman's direction. A fallen tree was on top of the other woman's legs, Emma bent down trying to lift it, but it was too heavy, even for Emma. Regina growled loudly, as soon the tree moved a little.

"Be careful!" the injured woman shouted sharply, as she was brought back to conscience. By the crack on her voice, Emma could tell she was in real pain.

The blonde tried once again without success. There was another high-pitched scream from the former mayor, "Of for God's sake, Sheriff, will you just stop --" Regina's eyes squinted close and she held her breath to prevent herself from screaming again, "Do not dare to move again!" She snarled, glaring at the blonde.

"Oh, I'm sorry if by trying to help you keep your damn legs I'm hurting you, _Your Majesty_." Emma rolled her eyes mockingly, glancing around to see if there was something there to help her get the woman off from under the tree.

Emma walked around Regina, placing her arms under hers, "I should just leave you here." She hissed under her breath, and tugged the brunette's slim body, yanking her from under the tree with a lot more force than needed. The rough movement caused Regina to let out a guttural scream. As soon as the woman was free from the tree, Emma stepped away. And as Regina landed back on the ground the sheriff waited for the insulting to begin.

"Are you completely insane, Miss Swan?!" Regina growled irritated, trying to sit up, her whole body was shaking from the aftershock, "Do you really think that was the best way do to it?" Her eyes were darker than the night as they looked right into jaded ones, "Cutting off my legs with your bare hands would've been less painful." the woman continued, trying to suppress the sharp pain burning down her limbs and to regain some self-control.

And as much as Emma did not want to admit, Regina was right. In her irritation towards the brunette, Emma had been rougher than necessary. Emma folded her arms tight around her torso, "I'm sorry." It was almost a whisper, apologizing never coming easy to her, "The tree was too heavy, I couldn't find a way to pull if off of you. It would've been worse if I kept on trying to lift it by myself, you saw how easily it hurt you when I did." Emma looked at her softly, "The only way to get you out from under that damn tree was by pulling _you_ out."

Regina closed her eyes, letting out a long heavy sigh. Truth be told, she was thankful for the release of pressure over her body, even if that meant hurting just the same, "Ok, fine." She stated dryly, "Help me to get up now, will you?" Her tone was so demanding that Emma felt an urge to just walk away.

And as the younger woman did not move or say a word, Regina rolled her eyes " _Please_." The word was said without any real meaning behind it, followed by an annoyed glare towards the stiff standing blonde.

Emma still didn't move and if it wasn't for Henry, she would most certainly leave the woman right there and walk away. After everything she'd learned the woman had done in the past, there was no way Emma would be willing to help her now. But Swan had made a promise and even though Regina had tried to kill her not too long ago, she knew she could not do this to Henry. She would keep both her promise and the woman safe, got back home, and put her in jail for all of the crimes she had ever done. Yes, that was the right thing to do, and Emma focused on that plan instead.

"For Henry." The blonde nodded, staring at her blankly, then leaned down to help Regina stand. Gentler this time, Emma placed the brunette's arm around her neck and helped her steady herself onto the ground.

Regina held back a grunt, lifting her right foot from the ground, "I can't –" Her voice cracked in a low embarrassed whisper, while she held Emma's shoulders a little stronger than the other woman anticipated. Regina let her weight drop onto Swan's body, "...It hurts." It was all she said, avoiding eye contact when Emma turned to look at her face. They didn't say anything else, but Emma held her closer, making sure that they didn't lose balance as she moved them onwards.

They walked in silence for a while; guided by the moonlight that now appeared behind the tall trees. It was getting colder, they could feel the wind blowing against their faces and it was difficult to continue with their walking.

After a few more strides, Emma decided to stop, glancing around, she had no idea where they were heading to, therefore making herself tired did not seem like such a good idea. Her grip on the brunette tightened to get her attention, "Do you have any idea where we are?"

"I know exactly where we are." Regina replied bleakly.

"Care to fill me in?" Emma rolled her eyes when she realized the woman was not to say another word without her pushing her to do so.

Regina turned her head and looked straight into Emma's eyes, brown dark eyes staring longingly at her. Emma felt a shiver running up her spine; no good could ever come from the way the older woman was looking at her, "Where are we, Regina?" she repeated, her voice strong, not breaking eye contact.

"Welcome to Fairytale land, dear." She waved her free hand to a path ahead of them. It was comical and irritating both at the same time.

\--

They advanced into the forest in frozen silence for what felt like hours. Emma couldn't quite describe what she was feeling. It was hard to rationalize everything. It seemed as though she was stuck in one of those dreams where you fight really hard to wake up but you just can't. She chuckled at herself and the ridiculous reality she was in, shaking her head in disbelief, everything was beyond laughable. The whole idea of fairy tales being real was bizarre and utterly nonsensical. And yet, there she was, helping an Evil Queen in the middle of an Enchanted Forest after falling head first into a portal made of a magical hat.

Regina was finding it very difficult to walk, her injured foot was hurting a lot, and every step she took required an enormous amount of self-control to keep her from making any noises. The pain was so strong that she was second guessing herself and thinking that it would've been better if Miss Swan had left her under that _damn_ tree. And truth be told, it did not help that the woman holding her kept chuckling all throughout the way.

"Will you just stop?" Regina blurted out annoyed, "This nonstop _chuckling_ is rather disturbing, not to mention delusional, Miss Swan. Are you sure you did not hit your head too hard and is now losing the little mental capability you had before?", long fingers pressed hard on the younger woman's shoulder, fingernails biting the skin under the blonde's jacket.

"Are you kidding me? I've been carrying you all this time and instead of a 'thank you for being so kind to me even though I don't deserve any kind of compassion' you are going to complain? Seriously?" Emma deliberately let go of the brunette, causing her to lose balance with the sudden lack of support. 

Regina stumbled, wincing and whimpering loudly as soon as her foot touched the ground, her hands searching for support at the nearest tree.

Emma frowned, "Oh... you are not lying, are you?" her voice was a mix of surprise and sudden worry. She rushed back close to help the woman again, feeling the guilt growing inside of her as she stared up into brown teary eyes. Now _that_ was something she never thought she would see.

_Regina Mills was about to cry._

"Ok, just s-sit –" Emma stammered, holding the woman by the arms, "Sit down." She completed, helping her to find a comfortable position.

Regina didn't argue nor flinch when Emma touched her, which caused the savior's stomach to lurch; if the regal dame wasn't even going to pretend that she was still in control, then the situation was even worse than the sheriff had imagined.

Emma instinctively pressed a hand against her own forehead, and sighed heavily, "I will just take a look at it and see how bad this is, ok?" Emma waited for Regina to give her any sign that meant she would not lose her hand if she touched her foot, and once the older woman nodded her head, Emma carefully let her hands travel down the other's leg, removing Regina's shoe. What she saw was not _at all_  what she expected.

Regina's foot was swollen and turning blue from all the bruises; it was somehow deformed, twisted to one side. Slowly, she lifted the woman's pants and notice even more bruises on her lower calf. Emma remembered the tree on top of her legs and how heavy it felt when she tried to pull it away, how could she not think of the damage it had caused to Regina's body?

"Oh my God, Regina!" the shock in her voice made the other woman's eyes to open wide, "Ah, your foot... it does not look good -- I'm pretty convinced that is not just a sprained ankle." Emma stared up at her, offering a shy smile, "I think it's broken."

"This is ridiculous, I did not break anything!" she tried to move it but the pain was too strong now, "It's just a bad injury, that's all." Regina's eyes travelled down her legs, so she could take a look at it, "I did sprain it badly as we can see."

Emma flickered one of Regina's toes causing the woman to shout, "Yeah, not broken at all." Emma mused, removing the other shoe from the former Queen's other foot.

"What do you think you're doing?" she snapped, eyes flashing darkly, "That other foot is fine!" Regina's voice irritated.

"I need to check your circulation," Emma wrinkled her nose, trying to find a way to vocalize what she was thinking, "see if the temperature and color are normal apart from all these blue-ish purple bruises…" she completed in an awkward tone placing the brunette's heel by their side. Emma breathed in relief as soon as she saw that her other leg appeared to be fine, just a little swollen, probably from the shock with the tree. "Then we have to immobilize it. I can make a splint with a stick or a log or something."

"I did not know they taught orthopedics in prison." Regina quipped, lifting an eyebrow.

Emma glared at her, but it did not held the anger of before, she was definitely more worried than angry at this point, "Would you just shut up, I'm trying to think."

"Oh, now I'm not worried at all." rolling her eyes, Regina rested her head against the trunk of a tree.

"Apparently you have a better way to fix this." Emma stood up, hands placed on her hips, "By all means, be my guest." She said, then stood quiet for a moment, studying their options. "We really need to get you some help, this injury will get worse for sure, we can't sit here and wait until your foot falls off." she glanced down at Regina, the moonlight illuminating her face.

"I do have a better idea of course." Regina replied without hesitation, brown eyes darting up to meet Emma's face, "Magic." the word floated from her lips followed by a mischievous grin.

Emma realized that she hadn't even considered magic. She was still getting used to the idea that magical realms, powerful witches and curses even existed in the first place, and the thought of healing someone using some kind of supernatural power was beyond believable. Even now, after everything that she had been through, the thought alone made her shiver. And if she was to be honest with herself, Emma knew that she would never get used to it. Sure, she was thinking about fairy tales and dark curses during their walk – or ever since she apparently broke a curse – but never imagined that she would have to deal with it so soon. As the thoughts filled her mind again, Emma stared down at her hands, remembering the sensation she felt on her fingertips seconds before the portal opened up. Inhaling a deep intake of breath, Swan pushed away the warmth she still could feel traveling on the inside of her palms.

Regina couldn't help but to notice that small gesture; she inhaled deeply almost in synch with Emma, focusing on the other woman's hands. Since the moment Emma pulled her from under that fallen tree she'd tried, without raising suspicion, to get her magic to work, all to no avail. It was as if she was too weak or without any magic at all.

"Why haven't you tried it yet?" Emma knew the answer as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She closed her hands into fists next to her body, afraid that maybe something _magical_ would happen if she kept them at sight. "You can't do it, can you?" It sounded more like a statement rather than a question, "Just like you couldn't back in Storybrooke."

Regina's eyes locked with the blonde's green gaze, the moonlight shining even brighter in the sky. "You can help me." Her voice had changed into a luring tone, Emma could tell.

The Sheriff chuckled, she couldn't believe her ears, "No way! Look where magic got us into!" She waved her hands in front of her, motioning to the empty space around them.

"To be fair, dear, the only reason why I'm stuck here with you –", the last word said in clear disdain, "Is because your _sweet_ mother pushed me into that portal. So don't blame it on the magic."

Emma flinched, the word mother always had had that effect on her, but now it felt even more uncomfortable. She braced herself, trying to get it together, "What do you mean, she pushed you?" she tilted her head to one side, then decided to change the subject. She was not ready to talk about Mary Margaret – Snow White, she mentally corrected herself before continuing - "The only reason we are both here is because _you_ –", she mimicked Regina's tone of voice, "decided to curse a whole bunch of people for you own gain and pleasure. So if there's someone to blame here, it's you and your magic."

"Oh and you know so much about me now, don't you, Miss Swan?" Regina let out a mirthless laugh.

"I know enough not to become your magic buddy for the night." Emma turned her back towards her and walked away.

"Where do you think you're going?" the brunette called after her, voice suddenly losing its confidence.

"-- to look for a log or something." She responded, back still turned, "I need it for your foot."


	2. The Dark Palace

**Disclaimer:** _Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and all the characters belong to ABC and the creators. No copyright infringement intended._

 

**Chapter 2: The Dark Palace**

Emma cared for Regina's injured foot as carefully as she could and as professionally as she was able to. She was no doctor, obviously, but she had her share of fractures and sprains and no money for a doctor, so she sort of knew what she was doing. Whatever way Emma's found to help Regina, didn't pass unnoticed by her, and as the pain slowly diminished from the lack of involuntary movements on her foot, it got the former Evil Queen flashing a gratuitous smile. If aimed at Emma or the foot itself, she could not tell, but it was a smile nonetheless.

"Thank you." although her voice was timid and very unlike Regina Mills, there was honesty in the words. Emma returned the sentiment with a small nod of her head, lips curving upwards just slightly.

The improvised foot splint was ready, and it didn't look so bad.

"We should keep moving." Regina broke the silence between them, "We don't know what creatures may be wandering around this forest. We better get to a safer place."

"Creatures? What do you mean by creatures?" Emma stammered, her voice rising slightly as she stood up on her feet. A flash from her last two battles crossing her mind, first a dragon, then a soul sucker Wraith, yeah, she was definitely not ready for another encounter with some new mystical being.

"Trust me, dear. You wouldn't want to know." The words were spoken with such conviction that Emma didn't dare to ask anything else. In fact, she was done talking about this new world she had just discovered existed, so she chose silence for an answer, stretching a hand to help the brunette stand, and couldn't help being a little shocked when Regina accepted without a second thought.

They began walking again, the blonde's hand strongly wrapped around Regina's waist, helping her with her movements, neither woman daring to speak about their proximity or the fact that they could feel the magical energy that seemed to be flowing from one body to the other at each step they took further into the Enchanted Forest. The moon was bright in the sky, lighting their way, the older woman pointing at where they should go. It didn't take long until they reached their destination. Walking was much faster this time, Regina's injured foot wasn't hurting as much now that it was immobilized, so it was a lot easier to move and carry her. The foot was numb under the splint as she limped, supported by Emma, but still both worried that it would be a lot worse once the adrenaline rush from walking that much worn off on her.

After a few more strides, the women stopped. Emma stared dumbstruck at the sight in front of her eyes.

There was a huge pointy castle made out of pure steel, or at least that was what she could come up with as she studied the construction right in front of her. It was like staring at an ancient picture. Green eyes shone bright, fixated in the castle's direction. It was beautiful, yet terrifying to look at.

"What is this place?" she asked, not daring to look away.

When she realized Regina wasn't going to speak, Emma turned her head to look at her. Regina was also staring at the fortress, lost in her own thoughts, eyes steady ahead of her. The blonde couldn't quite tell what it was that she saw reflected in those brown eyes while Regina took in the place.

"Home..." the words came out of the brunette's lips with such longing, Emma realized she could not take her eyes away of her.

* * *

Mary Margaret paced back and forth in the quiet Sheriff Station. It had been almost a whole day since Emma and Regina had gone missing into the vortex and she was just as desperate now as she was seconds after watching her daughter disappear into the magical void.

"We need to find her, David..." She turned to face him, "We can't lose her again." The woman added with teary eyes.

David walked towards her, reaching out to cup her face in between his hands, "We will find her." His voice was so confident Snow couldn't help but smile lightly at him, a sigh falling through thin lips. Hearing his reassuring words meant the world to her, there was nothing more comforting to the small woman than her husband's voice, "I'll go talk to Gold, he's sure to know something that will help us." David continued, stroking pitch-black hair between his fingers, "He was the one to summon that wraith to this world after all." He kissed her kindly yet chastely on the lips, "You go home and rest, you've been up all night, I need you strong to help me find her, alright?"

The petit brunette only nodded, there was no point in arguing, she knew he was absolutely right, "What about Henry? How are we supposed to tell him both of his mothers are lost?"

"Leave that to me." Charming smiled reassuringly yet again, "He's with Red right now, she will make sure he is distracted until I get some answers from Gold. I'll pick him up afterwards and bring him home." He explained, seemingly to have it all planned out, "Then we will talk to him together."

Mary Margaret nodded again, lunging forward to hug her husband tightly.

"Everything will be fine." David reassured her once more, stroking his hand down her back, patiently waiting until she let him go. When Snow finally pulled back, there were tears in her eyes. "I promise," he answered the unspoken question she left hanging in the air, then pulled her close to him again.

* * *

As soon as they were inside the palace, Emma let go of Regina much less carefully than the brunette expected, causing the injured woman to swing a little on her feet before finding her balance now that she was on her own, while the other one walked around the impressive room they were now in.

"This place is amazing!" The blonde exclaimed open mouthed.

Regina's eyes followed her every move, it was impossible for the former Queen not to notice the way Emma's emerald eyes were taking in every inch of the palace, some sort of a new brightness swirling around her features.

She continued pacing in a somewhat childlike manner, not daring to touch anything though, "It's  _so huge_!", it was said so much like Henry would have that the brunette's heart dared to skip a beat.

Taking a slow deep breath, Regina shrugged off the fact that Emma walked and talked exactly like Henry sometimes – or vice versa for that matter - it pained her to see the resemblance between her son and _that_ woman. It did not matter that _she_ had been the one to nurture and love him most of his life, Emma Swan seemed more like his mother than she ever had. The mannerisms they both shared would always be something Regina would never be able to accept or understand. 

Emma continued exploring the place, "Wow, this is awesome!" not able to help herself, she grabbed one of the very expensive looking pieces of silverware from one of the shelves, "Just wow!"

"Oh, why thank you, Sheriff." Regina couldn't help the smug tone that came out along with her words, a big smirk on her lips. Limping towards the woman, she took the ornament from her hands, "Better not touch anything, though, if you please. We are both very much aware of your clumsiness and lack of manners." She placed the object back on its place.

The comment earned her a big roll of the green eyes.

Regina continued in a much softer tone, "I'm glad it still looks almost exactly as I've left it. The curse did little to it."

As if by magic, the word 'curse' brought Emma back to reality, her expression sank down to a much bitter one, "So this is where you used to live before you took away everyone's happy endings?" She asked, facing the brunette, voice dripping sarcasm.

"That would be correct, Miss Swan." The woman nodded in response, expressionless. "This is my palace."

The young woman bit her lower lip, taking another glance around the big foyer, "That's very  _majestic_  of you, that's for sure." It was said more to herself than the woman in front of her.

Regina rolled her eyes in annoyance as she decided to walk towards one of the huge corridors that would lead her to the old master bedroom. That was when she felt a stinging pain on her foot. Stopping almost immediately, the regal woman closed her eyes, breathing deeply. Regina Mills was not a woman to complain, and she was certainly  _not_  about to start now. After all, it was not as if she hadn't been injured much more deeply before.

Emma gave the woman a sideway glance, by the look on Regina's face she could almost swear the brunette was about to cry, _again_. And quite frankly, the sheriff couldn't get herself to feel bad about it, at least not now.

"Do you think it's safe for us to be here?" She asked, not wanting to address Regina's injury at the moment. "At least until morning comes, and then we can try to find someone that can help us get back home."

"Your lack of intelligence may have clouded your thoughts, Miss Swan, but as you might be aware, I haven't been here for the past 28 years, so how am I to know how safe this place is?"

"Considering you we're the one that suggested  _this_  as a place to stay free from 'evil creatures'" Emma starts, making quotation marks when talking about said evil creatures, "I believe that _yes_ , you should pretty damn much know if we are safe here or not."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, dear, I have absolutely no idea."

Emma let out a huff noise trough her nostrils, "And what are we supposed to do now?"

"If you were to help me figure out why my magic isn't working here, maybe then I could find a way to protect us."

"Protect  _us_?" Emma let out a mirthless laugh before continuing, "The only reason why you want your magic back is because now that you've tasted it again, you just can't help yourself." The blonde closed her hands into fists, trying to control the tingling sensation that did not seem to go away. She wondered if the other woman could feel it too.

Regina lift an eyebrow, not really following Emma's train of thought, "What on earth are you insinuating?" her voice was sharp, eyes darkening at the presumption.

"Never mind." The young woman took a deep breath, there was no point in bringing the subject up to discussion now, "We should get some rest. It's been a really long day."

The brunette was about to talk back when she noticed Emma's expression falling into a much more numb one. She could tell by the sheriff's tone how exhausted she was, not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well. Regina had been there too.

Emma glanced at the darkness outside one of the large windows in the room, "It will be easier to find our way back when it is not so dark out." She completed much more to herself.

The blonde didn't turn to look at Regina, even thought she could feel the woman's eyes on her. If she was to look at her, she was pretty sure they'd end up arguing again. Emma felt frustrated and angry. And maybe that was the reason why she was going all  _bipolar_  on Regina, the woman always drove her insane of course, but tonight it seemed like the blonde was the one picking out fights when there was no point in doing so. Truth be told, she was really mad at the former queen, for everything she'd put her and  _her_   _family_ trough, but fighting her right now, when they were stuck together in this strange land, could only make it all worse.

For a brief moment, she let herself think about Mary Margaret and David, the way they hugged her so kindly and with so much love as soon as they first laid eyes on her after the curse was broken.  _She saved all of us._  That's what Mary –  _Snow White_  – had told them all, and right now that seemed like too much of a burden for Emma to carry.

"You can make yourself at home, sheriff, I'm sure you won't find it so difficult." Regina limped towards the corridor that would lead to the second floor, "I'll be retiring to my chambers." The regal tone couldn't be missed, "You just pick the room you like the most, although I believe the dungeons will suit you better." She was about to walk away, when she heard the other woman chuckling behind her.

"Like that's going to happen. We won't be in separated rooms, Regina."

"Afraid for the  _evil creatures_ now, are we,dear?" Her natural smirk made an appearance as the words were spoken.

"If I was I wouldn't be suggesting sleeping under the same roof as you,  _your highness_." Emma grinned, noticing Regina's hands turn into fists by her side. She had hit a nerve. "This place is huge, and we don't even know if we are alone in here. You are hurt with no magic, and, most importantly, I've promised Henry I wouldn't let anything happen to you, so yeah,  _we_  are sleeping in  _your_   _chambers_."

The former mayor wanted to fight back, but the mention of her son's name made her relent, "Follow me." It sounded much more like an order, but Emma did as she was told nonetheless.

Regina's room was not as untouched by the curse as the rest of the palace. The bedroom was actually a havoc wreck: dresses and jewelry all over the floor, broken mirrors, the dark curtains half burnt. The bed was also a mess, the sheets and covers haphazardly thrown to the side, scrunched up pillows. Not even the furniture had been spared: a chair was tipped over in the middle of the room, the dressing table almost upside down.

"Someone was here." Regina glanced around, "Who would dare touch my things?"

Emma didn't even try not to roll her eyes, "Really? Is that your main concern right now?" She pushed the door closed, dragging one of the dressers in front of it to block the way, "I have no idea how that curse of yours worked, but I don't think you brought every single fairytale character to Storybrooke, so unless they are all over the world, which I truly believe they are not, it is not so surprising that someone would have decided to rob the queen, knowing she wouldn't be there for a  _while._ " She sat on the edge of the bed, taking her boots off, "Maybe it was Robin Hood!" she chuckled, "Or is he –"

"Do shut up, Miss Swan." Regina cut her off, "And what do you think you're doing?" She asked as soon as the younger woman lay on her back. "Get off of my bed!"

Emma's eyes widened, "What? You are not really expecting me to sleep on the floor, are you?"

"No, dear. I'm not  _expecting_  anything, I'm demanding! You are  _not_  to sleep in my bed, get off!"

If Emma wasn't so tired she would've fought harder and started yet another banter with Regina over this. Instead she grabbed a pillow and some of the heavy covers and placed them on the floor beside the bed, "Good night,  _your majesty_."

Regina smirked victoriously before limping herself to bed.

Emma tried to find a comfortable position, but the hard floor was not exactly the best mattress and she had to use the comforter to cover herself up as the freezing wind coming from one of the broken windows was blowing right into her direction. She tossed and turned, adjusting her body over the cold ground below.

"Will you please stop moving?" Regina's hands pressed her temples. She was getting a really bad headache, as if the pain in her foot wasn't enough.

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I making you feel uncomfortable in your huge bed with your four blankets? My bad, Regina."

The brunette didn't think twice, throwing one of her blankets right onto Emma, "Now be quiet."

"This is ridiculous!" Emma mumbled, and, not even bothering to reach for the extra blanket, she simply grabbed her pillow and unceremoniously tossed it onto the bed, right next to Regina.

Regina's eyes widened in shock, "What do you think –"

"Save it!" the blonde cut her off, "If you want to try the floor, it's all yours, but I am not leaving this bed."

The former queen could count the few times in her life she had been rendered speechless. Tonight was definitely one of them.

* * *

Henry sat on the stool at the front side of the counter on Mary Margaret's kitchen, eating his hot dog while reading one of his comic books. David had picked him up at Granny's an hour ago and they had explained to him what had happened to Regina and Emma. The Charmings tried to be as careful as they could while breaking the not so good news to him, but the boy surprised them by only nodding in understanding and asking for food.

The ten year old took a big sip of his milk before returning to the story, aware of his grandparents' eyes on him. They'd been staring for the past half hour.

"Maybe he is in denial." Snow whispered, chewing the inside of her cheeks, "We should talk to him again."

"No." David held her by the arm before she could go to the boy, "It will be better if he blocks this out for now."

"David, it's his mothers we are talking about!"

"I know, but we shouldn't put that much pressure on him, not until we know for sure how to deal with this."

Mary Margaret placed one hand up to her chest, on top of her heart, "What if we ask Archie to talk to him instead?"

Henry glanced at them whispering as if he couldn't listen, "I'm not worried." He explained, taking his attention from his comic book and looking at them.

The boy jumped off his seat, walking towards his grandparents, "I just know Emma will protect my mom and my mom will find a way to bring them back, she is very powerful now that the curse is broken. And she wouldn't hurt Emma. They are safe and they will find a way to come back. I just know it." He grinned widely, "You should too, you know? Have faith in Emma like I do. She did break the curse."

Snow and David exchanged a somewhat emotional look before she took the kid on her arms, hugging him tight, "You are right, Henry, we should have faith in her."

David forced a smile, patting the boy on the head, "Go finish your hot dog, kid. I need to speak with your grandmother, ok?"

Henry nodded running back to his seat and comic books.

Mary Margaret looked at her husband, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Gold." He explained as if reading her mind, "He will help us, only because 'Emma owes him a favor', his own words exactly."

"We should take all the help we can get." Snow forced a smile, "We will think about Emma owing him anything once she is back home."

David shook his head in agreement, "You are right. I'll be talking to Blue tomorrow morning, she can also help us. We will need as much magic as possible to open up that portal again."

It was Mary Margaret's time to nod her head, "Do you believe Henry is right? That Emma is safe?"

The answer was left hanging in the air, but he didn't need to speak for Snow to know he indeed believed she was.

* * *

Emma was lying down staring at the ceiling, hands crossed on top of her stomach. It was still freezing cold, and even though she wanted to wrap the blankets around her own body to warm up, she wouldn't. She remained stiff, body motionless, eyes flickering in the darkness; the blonde wouldn't dare to move an inch. And the reason why she wouldn't move was right beside her, lying down in the exact same position.

They'd been there for what seemed like hours, in complete silence, apart from Regina's hissing and grunting. The woman would eventually curse under her breath, moving her foot slowly to ease what seemed to be a lot of pain.

"You deserve that, you know?" Emma finally spoke up, grumpily and inhaling deeply.

Regina was somewhat amused, "Excuse me?" She turned her head to the side to face Emma, unable to keep the edge out of her tone. The other woman didn't turn to meet her gaze.

"All this pain –" She motioned her hand towards the woman's injured foot, "You deserve it."

"Oh thank you, Miss Swan, for such sympathy. I wouldn't expect any less from you." Regina huffed.

"Say the woman who wanted me sleeping on the cold floor." She rolled her eyes.

The uncomfortable silence was back again, neither one daring to say anything else. Emma decided she'd try to sleep again, so she tossed around, pulling the cover closer to her chest, but as she moved, her foot touched Regina's injured one, making the woman wince out loud.

Emma almost jumped out in reflex. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to –"

Regina put a hand up, eyes shut close, wishing the woman would just stop talking. Oddly enough, Emma understood the gesture, but couldn't help herself, "It was an accident." She continued in a low voice.

"Enough, Miss Swan." She said with gritted teeth, "Just do us both a favor and sleep!"


	3. The Magic

**Disclaimer:** _Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and all the characters belong to ABC and the creators. No copyright infringement intended._

**Chapter 3: The Magic**

It was a long night, and, unlike Emma, Regina couldn't get herself to sleep, not only because she was in pain but mostly because her mind was spinning with a thousand different thoughts. Taking a quick glance towards the younger woman comfortably sleeping next to her, she sighed deeply, out of frustration or jealousy of her deep slumber she couldn't tell. It was amazing how fast the blonde beside her had zoned out and despite everything that had happened during that day, she was doing so quite peacefully - if snoring out loud counted as peacefully - Regina frowned, staring displeasingly at the figured by her side.

It felt odd to be back in her old world, not to mention back in her old bedroom. She never thought she'd see this place again. When she decided to enact Rumpelstilskin's curse, deep inside she also decided to leave this all behind. She thought, back then, that the curse would've been a one way ticket off this place, and coming back to this land would never even be an option anymore. Regina inhaled thoroughly through her nostrils before closing her eyes completely, somehow what was bothering her the most was the fact that she did not feel at home in the old world, not as she expected to feel. It was unsettling how out of place she was in her own palace _._ In fact, all Regina wanted was to go back to Storybrooke, even now that the curse was broken and all of the people she hated the most were there waiting for a chance to end her. But at the same time, that small town in Maine was the place where her son was. His world. The woman smiled inwardly at her own realization: the Enchanted Forest was not her home anymore; where Henry was, now  _that_  was home.

The former queen sighed again, this time feeling the weight of sleep taking control of her body, just the thought of her son calmed her. She stayed in the same position for what seemed like an eternity, her mind drifting to a place where Henry would be waiting for her with his tiny open arms.

She fell asleep.

* * *

Mr. Gold held Jefferson's almost destroyed hat in one of his hands, analyzing it as if it was expensive jewelry. He placed the garment on top of the balcony and turned his head to look at the anxious couple standing in front of him. "Unfortunately, dearies, there is not much we can do about  _that."_ He pointed at the hat with certain disdain.

"But you said you could help us." Mary Margaret's tone was almost hopeless, which caused her husband to immediately place a reassuring hand around her shoulders.

"And as a matter of fact I can." The man reached for one of the cabinets behind him, grabbing something out of it and quickly turning back to the pair, "Now  _this_  will help us get our beloved Emma back," he placed the rectangular box next to the hat, opening it slowly.

David stared at the wand. "Is this Cinderella's -"

"Indeed." Gold cut him off. Placing his hands carefully inside the box, he got the magical wand in his hands. "This is a very powerful and precious possession of mine, one I'm quite fond of." He explained while motioning the wand in the air, "I believe you've already spoken to Mother Superior, am I correct?" His attention turned back to David.

"Yes, she should be here soon." Charming nodded, "She is with the dwarves at the mines. We decided it's for the best if she conjures a spell to protect the fairy dust. They are working on this as we speak."

Gold only nodded, resting the wand back in its place, "There is just one more thing we need to discuss." His expression turned into a much darker one, "But I believe this won't be a problem to neither of you."

The couple exchanged confused looks, Snow was the one to break the contact, turning her stare at Gold. "What do you mean? I thought you said you'd help us without a deal."

"And I am." His voice remained stoic and cold, "But I just want to make sure I get something out of it myself. You know me, dear, I can't help it."

"What do you want?" Mary Margaret asked between gritted teeth, she couldn't believe they even thought Gold would help them out of compassion, "We will do anything to get our daughter back."

The man let out a mirthless laugh, the sound of it filling the whole room, "I thought so."

"Just say it, Gold." David's impatience showing as he placed his hands on top of the counter, "Stop playing us."

"Who said anything about playing? I'm talking about prices. Everything comes with a price." Gold grinned, and he was about to continue, when the sound of the door opening drove their attention to the fairy walking in.

* * *

"Good morning!" Emma said over a yawn while stretching her arms, still sleepy-eyed, "What are you doing?" she noticed that Regina was not lying beside her anymore. Instead, the woman was sitting, legs extended in front of her body, the woman's full attention turned to her injured foot as her right hand waved slowly on top of it.

Emma knew exactly what she was doing, so "Are you using magic?" was her second question. Noticing how Regina wasn't paying any attention to her, she continued, "Or trying to –" She sat up, mirroring the other woman's position in bed.

"Could you please be quiet?" Regina snapped, finally looking at her.

"Gee, aren't we in a good mood?" Emma mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Well, Miss Swan, maybe if you would just stop being so stubborn and help me make this -" she motioned her hand over her improvised splint, "- work then I'd have a reason to be as pleasant as you'd wish!" As much as Regina wanted to sound hard and rigid she didn't. Her pained voice betrayed her, she closed her eyes, trying to compose herself, "I know you want to punish me, but can you choose a better time and place for it?"

"Who said anything about punishing?" Emma asked almost offended, "I just can't trust you with magic, that's all."

Regina sighed, "As much as I hate to admit this, dear. I'm in pain.  _Real_  pain. And believe me when I say you are in much more danger being around me in that condition." If glares could kill, the one the former Queen sent Emma's way would definitely have ended the blonde's existence right there, and yet, Emma remained untouched by it, or, if she didn't, Regina couldn't tell.

"We will find something for your pain, and soon enough we'll be back home."

"Are we now?" The woman huffed, "I'm sorry, I've forgotten you know a lot about  _non magical ways_  to get us home. Do you even realize we will need magic to get back? Or are you just as much of an idiot as your parents and believes that you will just wake up some day in that ridiculous pretense of a place Snow calls home?"

Emma crossed her arms over her chest, the woman was already getting under her skin, and it was not even noon yet, "Are you done?"

"No! I am not done!" The brunette's voice rose up at last, "You will help me right now or - "

"Or what?" Emma interrupted glaring back at her.

Before Regina could say anything else they heard a blaring thud. It was a very loud noise, echoing throughout the walls of the enormous palace, it sounded like someone had just fallen down the stairs. Emma jumped in anticipation, one finger placed on her lips indicating to the older woman she should remain silent. Regina was not one to take orders, but taking a quick glance at her injury, and accepting she was in no condition to fight for herself she nodded in accordance.

The sheriff stood up, getting out of bed and grabbing the first object she found that could help knock someone - or something – out. She held the candelabra as if it was a baseball bat and walked slowly towards the door, her mind drifting to Regina's previous words about creatures. She was definitely not ready for magical beings crossing her path just yet, it was all too messed up the way it was already.

Regina continued trying to get her magic to work, she had no idea who could've been strong enough to escape from the curse and apparently keep intact what seemed like half of the land, but she was not willing to find out without her powers.

Suddenly the noises stopped, causing both women to share a puzzled look. Emma shrugged, going for the doorknob, and as soon as she did, Regina yelled "What do you think you're doing?"

"Protecting us?" She turned back, door opened behind her.

Regina chuckled loudly in disbelief, "And how are you planning on doing that, dear?"

"Will you stop underestimating me?" It was her time to raise her voice, just slightly, but it surprised the brunette just the same, "It's getting old, Regina. You have to admit I did a pretty good job saving your ass before. Twice now, but who's counting?"

"Oh you did indeed!" She laughed sarcastically, "And look how well that turned out. Good job, sheriff." The woman moved herself slowly out of bed, keeping one hand flat on the wall to steady herself.

"At least you're as alive and bitchy as ever! So yeah, you are welcome."

The bickering was probably louder and had both women much more absorbed in it then they imagined, which was why neither noticed someone else approaching the room.

"Well, well, well -" the stranger's voice filled the room, "What do we have here?"

Emma turned almost immediately, lurching herself in front of Regina in a protective way. It was a thoughtless move, and somehow natural for both women, but not to the newcomer who kept glaring at them.

"Lovebirds, I see. Two very sexy, gorgeous lovebirds." The drunken tone couldn't be missed, neither could the smell of cheap alcohol filling the air.

"Hook?" Regina stared at him in disbelief, "What on earth do you think you are doing walking around my castle?"

Emma looked over her shoulder, shouting a side glance at the brunette's direction, impressed that one, she didn't kill him with her bare hands after his latest comment and two, the woman actually knew this man. She was about to say something, or even hit him so that he would stop staring at them like they were from the cast of The L Word, when he answered Regina with a chuckle.

"Actually, love, this is  _my_  castle now." He stumbled around, "Or did you forget you abandoned the place for, I don't know, almost 30 years?"

Hook had some bruises on his face and part of his clothes were torn, it looked like he was the one who had just fallen down the stairs, or had been involved in a fight with someone much stronger than him, Emma thought while analyzing the man. He also needed a bath… badly.

Regina was glaring at him, her hands turning into fists beside her body, "How did you do it?" She asked between gritted teeth.

"Did I do what?" The man lifted an eyebrow, completed bemused. "Are you talking about the mess in your room? Because I swear to God it wasn't me." He put his hands up as in surrender, "To be honest, maybe it was me, I don't quite remember!" The laugh that followed his last words was loud.

Emma tried to suppress her own laugh, she never thought in a million years she'd meet the one and only Captain Hook, especially not when he was completely wasted. Her life couldn't get any messier.

"Oh great, now I'm stuck with  _two_  imbecile children." Regina sat back on the bed, feeling her foot burning under her.

* * *

Blue noticed the heavy atmosphere of the shop as soon as she got inside. "Hello…" She tried, walking to stand beside the Charmings.

"Is everything alright at the mines?" David asked and she nodded in return.

"I believe we have enough fairy dust to open up the portal. Just as we imagined." She glanced at Gold, "We just need a trigger."

The former prince also turned to the man in front of them, "So what Gold? Will you help us?"

"Of course I will - "

Before he could complete his sentence, Mary Margaret interrupted, "What's the price?"

Silence filled the air for a moment, they stared at one another until Gold's snicker got their attention.

"Regina. She is the price for my little help." He placed a protective hand on top of the rectangular box, "If you agree, she is to be mine to do whatever my heart desires, then, dearies, you can have  _this_." He showed them the box, his voice firm, leaving no room for questioning.

"No!" Snow's voice showed no sign of fear, "We would never agree to that! Not after you've sent that wraith after her, you have no desire to keep her alive!"

"I thought you were seeking justice, dear."

"Justice, yes! Not murder!" She was perplexed at his insinuation, turning her head to look at her husband, she continued, "David, we will find another way, this is not the right thing to do."

The man remained silent, as if he was considering the idea, "Snow…"

"No, David!" The small woman turned to the Mother Superior this time, almost begging for some support, "We can do it, right? Use the fairy dust and the hat to open up a portal? It was our plan A, anyway, right?" She kept looking from one person to the other, despair growing with each word, "We can fix the hat -"

Gold cut her off, his index finger raised to indicate he was the one to talk, "As I said before, dearie. I don't think that's even an option."

* * *

Hook was sleeping in the chaise near the window, snoring loudly and mumbling a few indistinguishable words from time to time. The three of them hadn't say much to each other since the women acknowledge his presence at the palace, the man was way too drunk for a proper conversation, so Emma rather pushed him to the chaise where he fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

"We should've thrown him out." The blonde said stiffly, not taking her eyes off of him. Somehow she regretted agreeing with Regina when the older woman proposed the captain should stay, her instincts still telling her that this was a bad idea.

"He represents no danger to us." Regina looked up at the other woman, "When he wakes up we can get information from him about this world."

Emma turned her attention back at the brunette, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is exactly what I said, dear." The sarcasm in every word caused Emma to sigh in annoyance. The woman continued, "We need to know how the land survived the curse and who else remained alive with it."

The blonde's eyes kept locked on Regina's, trying to absorb what the other woman was saying, but it was just too much. Regina noticed how the young woman's face tensed at the topic and for a split second she wanted to change the subject, not because she cared about Emma's feelings at all, but because she didn't want to have to deal with them. Breathing deeply, she chose to continue.

"I believe that someone was powerful enough to escape from the curse, I thought for a moment that it could've been Hook -" She sensed Emma's incredulouslook at the notion, "I know, dear, not one of my best assumptions, I have to admit." She added with a small laugh.

"So you're saying we may have bigger problems than trying to find a way back home?"

Regina nodded slowly, "As you may have noticed I don't have many friends, not in this or any other world." There was a hint of hurt masqueraded in her words, unnoticed by Emma, who was much more concentrated on the problems they apparently had ahead of them now. Regina continued, "And if we take into consideration the fact that I left a lot of people here to die and that somehow they found a way to escape the curse -"

"We are screwed." Emma completed for her.

"Yes, Miss Swan. I believe we are."

There was a moment of silence between them; Emma chewing nervously at her lower lip while Regina stared at her foot.

"I need my magic back." It wasn't a request for help this time, it was Regina's way of reassuring Emma she would protect them if she had her powers back. That she could trust her with this. Regina was vulnerable without it, and considering her injured state, it would be even more difficult for them to escape from whoever they had to, not to mention find a way back to Storybrooke.

At the sound of the woman's voice, Emma was brought back to reality. Gazing at the brunette, she let out a resigned breath, "Ok, teach me then." She crossed her arms, out of fear or something else she couldn't tell. The blonde shifted on her feet a little so that she was standing right in front of the other woman. Regina didn't need to say anything more, Emma could read her well enough, and even though she really didn't want to be around magic she knew that it was more than necessary, especially if she wanted to go back home as soon as possible.

Regina's brow lifted, she stared at the sheriff suspiciously, "So now you are saying you'll help me?" The tone was mocking, but it didn't hold the venom from before, "Such an honorable act, dear. I'm impressed." She laughed mirthlessly, "Or did I scare you just now?"

Sensing the mood change in the air Emma replied. "No, not helping! And most certainly not scared." Her voice held an almost child like tone, "The truth is I'm really hungry, and Henry told me once that you made him a gigantic bribe muffin or something, so I'll rely on you having some principles left, like reciprocity, to make me breakfast after you heal yourself and then we are even." The grin she instantly flashed at Regina after stating the words got the other smiling inwardly in spite of herself. It was the same type of cheap blackmail grin Henry used on her many times before and she couldn't help the warmth it brought to her heart.

Shaking her head and with it her unwanted feelings, Regina looked up at the blonde, "I don't actually have to teach you anything. All you need to do, Miss Swan, is give me permission to access your magic, that way I'll be able to strengthen my own. This land has its own powers, it will be easier for me to use magic once I'm in touch with yours. And then I can heal myself."

"And get us some food." Emma continued as to complete the other's words, causing Regina to roll her eyes, not bothering to reply. "And how do we do this? How do I boost your magic?"

"First of all, you shut your mouth. Second, you come here."

Emma glared at the hand stretched out in her direction, wide eyes and mouth slighted open.

"For the love of God, Miss Swan, I won't bite you. Come here, now!" She demanded, her mayoral stance on.

The blonde walked slowly towards her, holding the other's hand as soon as she was close enough to the brunette. When they touched, the sensation of energy floating from one another was instantly felt, there was a white light emanating from their entwined hands, Emma's astonished eyes locked with Regina's calm ones.

"Is this supposed to happen?" The sheriff asked, almost pulling her hand back to herself.

Regina's grip tightened around her fingers, "Yes."

"What now?"

"Again: you shut up and let me concentrate." The tone was as soft as Regina could muster, she didn't need Emma to get anxious, not when she was trying to connect with the other woman's magic. "Just relax, it won't hurt you." She held her gaze, staring straight into those green bright eyes, " _I_  won't hurt you -" Regina spoke slowly and reassuring, and as soon as she could feel Emma's muscles relax, she added with a smirk, "- not yet at least."

Emma couldn't help the small upturn of her lips, and how comfortable she felt at the yet new feeling of magic flowing through her entire being. She held Regina's hand a little more firmly, a new rush of energy radiating from their touch. The young woman closed her eyes, head lolling back.

Regina keep her eyes locked at the other woman, enjoying - even though she would never admit it - the sight. She still remembered the feeling of connecting with magic for the first time, the sense of awareness, of being one with the very core of nature. The power was exhilarating, and watching Emma go through the same emotion right in front of her eyes… Regina swallowed hard, impressed at her own imagination, she reached for Emma's other hand with her free one, linking their energy even more strongly together.

Emma felt it deeply within her. She sighed deeply, suppressing a moan of pleasure at the new sensation. And then, with one last deep breath, she gave into the feeling, letting herself be completely absorbed by it.

 


	4. The First Lesson

**Disclaimer:** _Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and all the characters belong to ABC and the creators. No copyright infringement intended._

* * *

**Chapter 4: The First Lesson**

After making sure Hook's hand was well chained against the foot of Regina's chaise, Emma walked downstairs, following the tempting smell coming from the dining room and, once she got there, gazing amazed at the huge mahogany table ahead of her.

Regina had created a perfect regal breakfast, Emma's mouth watered immediately at the sight as she glanced impressed towards the table. Steel goblets and matching juice jar, silver salvers filled with fresh fruits, condiments decanted into crystal containers and perfectly matching crockery were all resting on top of a blood-red tablecloth. Not to mention the very sophisticated pastries Emma had never seen in her life. Staring at every single detail, the blonde approached the table. Everything looked delicious, she had to give Regina that, but Emma was not one for trying new things, especially when it came to her food.

"What is that, Regina?" With a frown, she sat in the empty chair right across from the brunette, who was already seated.

"Breakfast." She answered matter-of-factly, taking a silver spoon to her mouth in a way only Regina could, managing to add that much class to something as simple as a spoon full of yoghurt.

"And do you mind telling me why I don't see a gigantic muffin in this fancy table of yours?"

"Because, Miss Swan, as much as you might find hard to believe, you are not a 10 year old child. This is a proper breakfast." The former queen waved her hand over the table, "Suit yourself, dear."

"Will I find a bear claw, then?" Emma noticed how Regina pretended not to hear her, so she continued, "Some Trix, maybe? Hmm… Cap'n Crunch? " She teased again.

"No." Came the flat response, the woman didn't even bother to look at her.

Emma shifted in her place, looking from one dish to the other, trying to find something she could actually eat. Her stomach grumbled.

"Regina, this is not what we agreed on! I don't eat fruit and vegetables, ever, specially not for breakfast!" She placed both elbows on top of the table, resting her head on her hands and puffing her cheeks in annoyance. "Besides, I don't even know what half of these are! I grew up in the system, did you forget that?"

"How could I ever, dear? Your lack of manners keeps reminding me." Regina flashed one of her big sarcastic grins, "Would you perhaps prefer an apple turnover instead?" The brunette smirked at her companion, bringing the goblet slowly to her lips. "I might even cook it myself, no magic involved."

Emma rolled her eyes, "Funny. I'm glad to see you are feeling much better."

The former mayor nodded, twisting her foot under the table, as if she wanted to make sure it was completely healed. "You requested breakfast, so I believe I'm fulfilling my part of the deal. Now eat it."

"What if I say I've changed my mind and I would very much like to have a burger right now?" Emma crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't do burgers," Regina slowly placed a piece of fruit on her mouth, savoring the moment, "You should try something, this is delicious." She was definitely enjoying herself, for the first time since they got to the Enchanted Forest, and if she was to think about it, for the first time in a very long time.

"Regina!" The savior breathed out the words, pressing her hands to her temples, "I am hungry!"

"Eat, then."

"Fine!" Emma raised her voice, standing up quickly. The woman motioned her right hand on top of her empty silver plate. When nothing happened she tried again, this time, eyes closed, a thin line forming on her forehead as she concentrated hard.

The former Queen chuckled, "What on earth are you doing, Miss Swan?"

Emma opened one of her eyes, glancing down at Regina, "Magic, I'll make my own burger!"

"Oh, really?" Regina's eyes traveled from the blonde to the mess that appeared on her plate as soon as she said the word 'burger', "Bon appetite, then, dear."

When the sheriff looked at her dish, she was immediately grossed out, "Ew!" the sound coming out of her mouth was low and shy, which got Regina grinning widely. Emma stared at her plate, a ginourmous piece of raw meat in it. "I think I've lost my appetite." And with that, she left the room.

Regina finished her meal slowly, trying not to get troubled by the fact the blonde had left the way she did, but she just couldn't help glancing at Emma's empty spot from time to time, seeing the very bloody piece of meat staring back at her. She placed the silverware on the table, chewing her final bite in a slow speed, concentrating on her next move; the infuriating woman had saved her life after all, she reasoned, not to mention the fact that she wouldn't be walking around the palace this morning if the woman hadn't decided to help with her magic. Regina sighed out of frustration. It bothered her beyond reason to feel like she was in debt with someone else. Especially if that someone was the Savior herself.

Emma sat on a bench outside the palace, looking at her hands, still tingling from her frustrated attempt at magic. The sheriff had no idea why she'd even tried using it, the feeling she felt earlier when Regina was accessing her magic coming back to her, but before her mind could go any further she abruptly turned her head as a delicious - and greasy - smell entered her nostrils, her stomach grumbled loudly, and for a second she thought it was her imagination. After all, what would Regina be doing in front of her with a plate in her hands and a delicious looking hamburger in it?

"Here," The woman almost shoved the plate at Emma's face, "Now eat it."

The blonde kept staring at the dish, not sure if she should take it or not.

"Oh come on, it's not poisoned." Regina rolled her eyes, pushing the plate more fiercely at the other's direction, "And it's also vegetarian. After that little trick you've performed I believe we won't be having any meat for a while." When Emma still didn't move, the irritation took over her, and her voice raised considerably, "For the love of God, Miss Swan, just take the damn plate!"

"But -" The sheriff grabbed the plate, before Regina threw it on the ground, "Are you sure you're feeling alright because -"

"Because what, dear?" Regina cut her off, "Don't act as if this means something." She stared at her, disgusted at the mere thought, "It is  _not_ a pledge for friendship, I still loathe you just the same. But I don't break promises, and I did promise you a breakfast, so there you have it."

They stayed in silence for a moment, Emma staring at the dish in her hands and Regina doing just the same.

"Thank you." It was all the blonde managed to say without turning the moment into a much more awkward one. She took a big bite from the burger. "Damn! This is good!"

With only a nod of her head and a small smile, the regal woman turned on her heels, wishing to get away from there as fast as possible and yet, her senses betrayed her, and it took only an instant before she found the courage to say what causing her such distress, "You've helped me." She turned around to look at the young woman again. Emma was still eating, not ashamed of the mess she was making. Regina's nose wrinkled, the woman's lack of crassness was amusing, "Thank you for that, Miss Swan."

Emma smiled truthfully and although she appreciated the other woman's words, she chose not to say anything about it. She could tell by the tone in the other woman's voice how hard it was for a simple admission like that to be said out loud, so she just took another bite. The act didn't go unnoticed by Regina, who thanked her again, this time in her mind.

"Hey, Regina?" Emma called as soon as she saw the woman turning again to leave.

"Yes?" She stopped, side looking at Emma.

"Would you teach me how to make some magical fries, too?" She grinned, the corner of her mouth dirty from the sauce.

One more time, Henry came to Regina's mind, the sparkle in Emma's eyes matched perfectly her memory of her son's. And at that moment she didn't hate the woman for it. Pushing that thought away easier than she thought possible, she sat next to Emma. "You'll need to practice if you want to control your magic." With a twist of her wrists, and after a puff of purple smoke, two napkins appeared in Regina's hand and she handed them to Emma. "You need to concentrate on what you truly want, feel it deep in your heart -"

Emma whipped her mouth, listening attentively to the older woman's words.

"It doesn't matter what you plan on doing, dear. If it's as simple as an apple," Another flick of wrists and a blood-red apple appeared in her hand, "Or as tricky as the weather…" Regina waved her hand, and suddenly the bright blue sky turned grey, lightning startling Emma, who stared at the former Queen amused, "It has to come from your heart." She waved again, sky back to its normal state. "It's easier said than done, and it takes a lot of practice."

Emma gaped at her, "It does seem pretty easy when you do it." She asked, her mouth full after taking a few new bites. "Will you teach me?"

"Someday." The woman stood up, "And swallow your food before you speak, that is disgusting."

* * *

Mary Margaret paced back and forth around the loft, torn between what she knew was the honorable thing to do and the fear of never seeing her child again, "We can't do this, David." She stopped, both hands placed on her hips, "Emma is not here with us right now because she risked her life trying to save Regina. If we accept Gold's deal, she will never forgive us. Henry will never forgive us."

"I know." He walked towards her, taking her hands into his, "But what other choice do we have?"

The small woman locked eyes with him, "We'll find a way. The  _right_  way."

David took his wife's hands, closing them together with his own and kissing them lovingly, "I understand what you are saying, I really do. But we don't have any other choice." His eyes searched hers, causing his heart to break at the sight of green sad ones, "We bring them home first and worry about Gold later." He tried to sound as sure of it as he could.

"You know that's not an option, David. No one breaks a deal with him." The disgust in her tone saying the last part couldn't be missed.

"We've crossed him once, we'll do it again."

Snow tilted her hear to the side, pondering for a moment, "No. We can't do this."

She pulled her hands away from him, grabbed her coat and left. David watched as the door closed behind her, inhaling deeply. "We have to." He whispered to himself.

* * *

Regina went straight to her chambers' direction, Emma following her fast steps, "Why are you running?" the sheriff asked, almost out of breath.

"First of all, I'm not running. And second and much more importantly, I didn't ask nor need you following me around like a lost puppy."

"So what? I'm supposed to let you talk to him all by yourself now?" As she didn't get a reply, she continued, still trying to keep up with the other woman. "The guy might want to cut your head off once he wakes up all sobered up for all we care."

"I'm very capable of defending myself, dear." She glanced over her shoulders to look at the blonde, a smug smile on her lips.

"Sure you are." Emma mumbled as soon as the brunette was back at her track.

The women entered the room, Regina walking straight to where the captain was. The man was still in a deep sleep, she nudged him with her left feet. "Hook, wake up." The tone was cold yet not loud enough to startle him. Emma noticed the gesture and couldn't help not to chuckle.

"What?" Regina's head snapped immediately at the sound to meet the woman's gaze, only to see her with one hand on top of her mouth, preventing herself to laugh louder.

"You really are in a good Samaritan mood today, aren't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" She placed both hands on her hips, irritation taking over her.

"First the burger -" The blonde showed her index finger as if she was counting, placing another one up, she added, "Now you're all careful on how you'll wake up that ass."

"I am most certainly not." A thin line popped on her forehead, "And watch you language." She broke eye contact quickly. Truth to be told, Regina knew she was being softer than she naturally would. The reason behind it, though, she still couldn't quite point out.

"Whatever you say,  _your majesty_." Emma did a little bow, another chuckle coming out of her mouth.

The former Queen bit her tongue, even though the snark reply crossed her mind immediately. "Hook! Wake up!" This time, she almost yelled at the man, pushing his shoulders with her hands aggressively, "Better?" She turned her gaze at Emma, the woman shrugged annoyed.

"Well, for an Evil Queen I was expecting something more like - " The sheriff slapped Hook right across the face, waking the man up with a startle.

"What the hell?" He screamed angrily at her. He was about to lurch himself at her, when he noticed the handcuff around his wrists, "Clever, blondie." He smirked at her, "But you know you will have to let me out eventually, don't you?"

Regina was still looking baffled at Emma, "That was very interesting indeed, sheriff," she said with a raise of a brow, "Now I believe he will be thrilled to give us the information we need." She took a seat at the edge of the chaise, crossing one leg on top of the other, "Be my guest to torture him to speak, dear."

"Torture?" Came the sound of both voices.

"If we are talking about the three of us, that bed -" he pointed to Regina's huge master bed, "and those cuffs, then, bring it on, love."

This time, it was Regina who turned and slapped him in the face, "Stop with the obscene declarations, Captain. You might regret them really soon." She returned to her previous position.

The man chuckled, "Now that's the Queen I remember, don't you agree, blondie?"

"Just shut up, Hook." Emma mumbled. Reaching for the keys in her pocket, she un-cuffed him, "We need to ask you a few questions, and I want to believe you'll be a gentleman and help us out."

"Oh, will I?" Grinning mischievously, he glanced from one woman to the other, "Well, then, tell me ladies, how can I be of service?" His mocking tone did nothing but irritate them further.

Regina watched as Emma's hands turned into fists, and before the woman could do something rather stupid, she spoke up, "How come the land is intact?"

"Disappointed to learn your curse wasn't as powerful as you've imagined?" He pouted teasingly, but as he noticed Regina's eyes darkening, he added, "I don't know, it just is."

Emma sensed the lie like as soon as the words came out of his mouth, "You're lying."

Ignoring Emma's words, Regina continued, "It is not my curse." She crossed both hands on top of her knees, "Who you're working with? You don't expect me to believe you've forgotten all about your vengeance, do you, dear?"

"How is the old crocodile?" Hook leaned closer to the brunette, "Did he send you back here?"

"Who are you working with?" Regina asked again, this time in a husky colder voice, eyes darkening even more.

"I'm working with the only person who may be powerful enough to take you back."

This time, Emma didn't sense a lie. She put her hands on the back pocket of her jeans, studying the duo.

"Give me one good reason why I should trust you." Regina kept her eyes on him, not even blinking.

"Because you will take me with you."

* * *

Time was passing by faster than Mary Margaret wished for. She'd walked for hours, going from one point in town to the other, seeing some of the familiar faces from the Enchanted Forest walking around too, some being reunited to their families, others searching just like her. It all seemed like a nightmare, now that her daughter was finally found and the curse was broken, they were supposed to be living their happy ending, yet, there she was, feeling just as broken and scared as before.

She entered Granny's and smiled at the sight of her grandson, a huge milkshake in front of him. Ruby was sitting across the boy, and they were engaged in what seemed like a really entertaining conversation. He didn't notice when she approached the booth.

"Snow!" Ruby smiled widely, white teeth flashing at her, "Sit down with us, I'm just finishing telling Henry all about our adventures!"

The short haired woman smiled in return, accepting the seat beside one of her dearest friends, "I wish I could stay but -"

"Please, grandma!" Henry pleaded, big puppy eyes staring at her.

"You know what? Why not?" Snow reached for his hands and gave a small squeeze.

The trio talked for a long time, and it was only when Granny offered the boy some lasagna that the women realized how late it was. Henry followed the old woman to the balcony, leaving the best friends alone.

"What happened with Rumplestilskin? Will he help?" Ruby asked as soon as the boy was out of ear shot, "You don't look as confident as you were last night."

"He made an offer. He will help us only if we promise to give him Regina in return."

"No way!" Red almost yelled in surprise, "You can't say yes to that! Henry would be heartbroken!"

Mary Margaret nodded, "But what other choice do we have?"

"Don't." Ruby placed one hand under the other woman's chin, "Don't look so defeated yet. Haven't you been listening to every story we just told Henry? We used to face so much worse back home." Her voice was kind and it brought tears to the small woman's eyes, "We will find a way to bring Emma back, we just need a plan. A good plan!" She grinned and winked, "Like… I know!" Red shoved her out of the seat and once they were both standing, took Snow's hand.

"Wait! What are you doing?"

"We'll go to the old library. Regina had it locked but I bet we can find a way in -"

"Red?" She tilted her head to the side, wondering what her friend was thinking about.

"Don't you see? We'll go and read every single book if we have to, but we'll find something." The woman couldn't be more excited about her own plan, she pulled Snow by the hand once more, "Granny, call David, tell him to meet us at the library." She shouted over her shoulders right before they left.

* * *

The former Queen was tired, it had been a long day. She squeezed her own neck slowly, trying to take the tension out of it. She had no idea if Hook was telling the truth, but at the moment, he was the only hope they had to find a way back home, at least until she was magically strong enough to do find a way herself. Taking a deep inhale of breath she walked into her bedroom, wishing she could find her old Storybrooke one when she opened the door. The ache in her heart when she didn't was dismissed by the sight of the blonde there.

"What do you think you're doing in  _my_ room?"

"Are we really doing that? Again?" Emma exhaled, annoyed, "This place is gigantic, it will be a lot easier to defend ourselves, if whoever – or whatever – is out there to get us suddenly bursts in, if we're together." Sitting on the edge of Regina's bed, Emma started taking of her boots.

"You know I can cast a spell and protect the palace from outsiders, don't you, Miss Swan?" Regina's eye brow lift, eyes locked at the other woman's movements.

"Yes. What I don't know is  _why_  you haven't done that yet." Emma lifted her head to look up at the brunette, who instantly turned away.

"I couldn't do it." She crossed her arms over her chest, standing silently as if waiting for Emma's reaction. "I don't know why…" She continued as she turned her back at the other woman, not wanting to show any hints of the vulnerability she felt after her last statements. Why she had even said that to the blonde was lost in her thoughts as Emma suddenly spoke again.

"Well you must be rusty -" She got under the covers, as if this had been her bed all along, "Don't worry about it." Emma completed, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. She definitely didn't want to make a big deal out of what Regina had just said, especially not to the fact the woman had actually admitted some kind of weakness to her.

Regina smiled inwardly, before magically changing herself into silk grey pajamas and lying next to the sheriff.

"Do you think we will find a way back home?" Emma moved so that she was staring at the woman beside her.

Feeling the other woman's eyes on her, Regina's body tensed. She wasn't used to being looked at that closely, it felt as an invasion, but she managed not to show it. Instead, she replied bluntly. "Of course, dear. It's just a matter of time."

The blonde lay on her side, propping her head up with her elbow, "How can you be so sure?"

Regina instantly turned her head, her brown eyes meeting Emma's, "Because I want to. And I always get what I want."

"No, Regina." She huffed, "Come on, seriously."

Sensing the woman's frustration rising, Regina smirked, "I don't usually joke, Miss Swan."

Emma sighed deeply, deciding this conversation wouldn't take them anywhere. She turned back to her previous position, eyes glued on the ceiling. "You are so difficult to talk to."

"You don't need to talk. I very much prefer your company when you are not speaking." Regina closed her eyes, annoyance taking over her.

"So you enjoy my company." Emma smiled, teasing the woman was her favorite thing lately.

"That is  _not_  at all what I said."

After a moment of silence between them, the blonde shifted again, head turned to the side, "Can I ask you something?"

"We both know you don't need my permission, dear. You will be bothering me with your possibly stupid question whether I agree to it or not." The brunette didn't move, eyes still closed shut.

Emma bit the inside of her cheeks, she wasn't angry at Regina anymore, not like she was when they first got to the Enchanted Forest, but she still felt as if she needed to understand her better. And there was only one way to do that. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "How could you do it?"

Regina opened her eyes at the question, confusion showing in her features, "How could I do what? Heal myself?"

"No." Emma replied, and for a split of a second she wished she had lied, because she was sure she was about to end their truce. "How could you destroy so many lives -" Her voice was low, almost like she was talking to herself, she didn't want Regina to think she was trying to attack her. She just wanted to understand. "You've killed people –" It was an affirmation, "And  _that_  is the part I'm struggling to believe, you know? Not the whole fairy tale thing, no -"

Emma saw the almost immediate change in Regina's face. Her eyes got darker, her mouth twisted into a harder line, her whole body stiffened in bed but she didn't break eye contact. This Regina was no afraid of confrontation, because she had a very hard wall around herself.

"- I'm struggling with the fact that you are a killer." The blonde regretted the words as soon as they left her lips, especially after watching Regina's old self surfacing right under her gaze.

Regina's voice was dark and cold, "And why is that, dear? Afraid I'll kill you in your sleep?"

To be honest, Emma didn't know why, so she went for the safer answer. "You  _were_  raising my kid, that's a start -" she half lied and chuckled uncomfortably.

"He is mine." It was all the former Queen said, closing her eyes again.

"You've killed Graham, didn't you?" The question was made in a whisper, Emma immediately closing her eyes, afraid she'd start crying.

Regina remained silent, her heart beating fast inside her chest. If Emma wasn't so absorbed listening to her own heart beating loudly, she would probably have noticed the other one's too.

"You've killed him." Emma's affirmative felt like a punch to Regina's stomach.

The former queen swallowed hard, trying not to show her emotional state. After all what could she say? She couldn't bring herself to even regret the things she had done, every single life she took was well deserved. Turning her back to Emma to avoid any more conversation, she simply said, "Good night, sheriff."


	5. The Cabin

_**Disclaimer:**  Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and all the characters belong to ABC and the creators. No copyright infringement intended._

**Chapter 5: The Cabin**

Emma woke up alone in bed, and squeezed her eyes a little to adjust them to the light entering the huge room. For a second she'd forgotten where she was, but as soon as her eyes travelled over the ceiling and spotted a beautiful crystal chandelier on top of the bed, reality hit her. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she wished she could just fall asleep again, but now that her mind was racing with the thoughts of her new discovered life, she couldn't.

"Damn it." The woman cursed, pushing the covers away from her body with much more force than necessary, she ran a hand through her mussed hair, "Damn it." She said it again, lower and with a hint of sadness this time.

Emma couldn't find the strength to get up. She remained still, staring at the ceiling. With another deep sigh she remembered her last conversation with Regina, right before she fell asleep. Still perplexed at how the other woman didn't even flinch at the mention of Graham's death, the blonde's heart skipped a beat at the thought, and, bringing her hands to cover her face, she inhaled deeply one more time. The sheriff didn't have enough time to process all that had happened back in Storybrooke. The curse was real and she - as the Savior that she was - had broken it, not to mention that Mary Margaret and David were actually Snow White and Prince Charming and they happened to be her parents. In fact, every single person in that town was a fairy tale character and she was now in their very own world, the famous Enchanted Forest. Emma laughed in disbelief, bringing her hands back to rest beside her body, and Regina… well, she was  _The_  Evil Queen. It was complicated to think about Regina as someone who had done the terrible things she had read in Henry's book, and sure the woman had even tried to kill her a couple of days ago, but still, it was hard to believe that someone like that existed out of a Disney book and in  _her_ real world. The blonde forced her eyes to remain opened, sinking into the new reality she was now living in.

Finally, after a few other minutes, Emma stood up and when she looked around she realized the room was completely changed. Regina had probably fixed every single bit of it with her magic, which meant she must have woken up stronger. The chamber was beautifully neat. Looking around, the young woman smiled but it didn't reach her eyes, the thoughts in her head still floating around.

Emma's eyes searched for her boots just to find them next to the chaise; walking slowly towards the furniture she noticed a change of clothes perfectly folded and a clean white towel placed there, on top of it a note:

_"Please do us both a favor and take a shower, Miss Swan._

_You are starting to smell._

_\- Regina."_

At the end of the note Regina wrote the direction to the bathroom. Emma stared dumbfounded at the paper in her hand, figuring that it was just like the maddening woman to give her a headache first thing in the morning. With a shake of her head, she grabbed the clothes and left the room.

* * *

Hook was back at the wood cabin he had grown so accustomed to for the past 28 years. The worn woodland cabin was the biggest of the village, situated right in the middle of the small community, yet it was simple and rustic. Walking towards the place, Hook greeted with a small nod some of the peasants working on building a new cottage, the sound of running children making his face twist in a comic attempt at horror. He looked around, amazed at the amount of families moving all over the place, more people had learned about this  _safe haven_ and the village was starting to grow in its population.

The captain knocked at the door of the main cabin and entered when, by magic, it opened itself.

"I have exciting news." He said with a tilt of his head.

"Oh, do you, now?" A wave of black smoke filled the room and the man standing in front of him suddenly turned to a form of a woman. "Tell me, dear captain, what can be so exciting that brought you here after our little discussion?" The woman now stared at the cuts still well marked in his face. Hook ignored her.

"Well my dear Cora." He approached her calmly, "If I was to turn my back at you every time we have a little  _argument_  -" He chuckled, near enough to for it to be considered an invasion of her personal space. "That clamor we heard the other day. You were right, something powerful happened."

Cora remained stoic, watching his moves and paying attention to his words. The man continued, "Regina is here."

If the woman was impressed, happy or upset about the news, she didn't show. Hook noticed, but chose to continue with his tale nonetheless. The captain explained how his encounter with the two women had gone and that he didn't get the chance to know much about how they ended up back in the Enchanted Forest. In fact, it wasn't until he was telling Cora about Regina and Emma that he realized how little he knew about them. Even though he didn't have much to share, the older woman nodded her head in appreciation towards his words.

* * *

With a quick movement of her wrists, Regina sent a branch of tree flying across the yard, the piece of wood almost crashing against the other trees. The woman growled loud out of frustration, she had been trying a protection spell since she had woken up but somehow it wasn't working. At first, when she was able to repair her chambers using her magic as easily as before, she thought her powers had been restored to their full force. But now, after several failed attempts at conjuring a simple protective barrier around the palace, she realized she wasn't as strong as her old self, and the reason why, she couldn't quite tell.

"This is unbelievable!" Regina's wrists moved again, throwing a rock this time, the crashing sound as it collided against the entrance gate startling the blonde who had been watching the scene for a while.

"What was  _that_?!" Emma jumped in her place, hands on her chest.

"What does it look like, Miss Swan?" Regina glanced at the intruder over her shoulder, finally noticing the other's presence.

"It looks like you're really angry at the poor trees." Emma pointed at the forest, stepping a little closer to the other woman, "Not to mention that gate over there." The woman pointed towards the palace's entrance.

Regina was so frustrated that she didn't even bother rolling her eyes at the other woman's irritating words, instead she took a deep long breath, "My magic is still not working." She admitted slowly.

"Oh…" It was all the blonde managed to reply and after a few moments of silence tried to continue, "I thought -"

"Well, you thought wrong." The former Queen cut her off, not helping the snipe that came so naturally when she was talking to the other one, she turned to leave, frustration getting the best of her.

Emma bit her lower lip thoughtfully, closing her hands into fists tightly, not wanting to feel the energy running trough her fingertips as she felt since she had woken up. Opening her hands again, and wiggling her finger, she looked at the woman who was certainly making the uneasy sensation worse.

"Regina?" the blonde called out, "Maybe I -" But then she stopped mid-sentence and as soon as the brunette glanced back at her she shook her head and put her hands on the back pocket of her jeans, "Never mind. Thanks for the clothes."

Regina knew exactly what Emma was about to say. She stared at her up and down, noticing how her hands kept moving before she placed them securely into her pockets. Bringing her head back up to meet the younger one's eyes, she wished Emma would change her mind and help her with her own magic. But she never did.

"You're welcome." The regal woman stated emotionless and started to walk away.

Emma puffed her cheeks, letting out a frustrated sigh, "Damn it." She knew there was no point in avoiding magic now, not in this world she was stuck in at least, it would be better to learn how to control it and help Regina in the best way she could. After all, as much as she didn't want to admit, magic would make it easier and faster to find their way back home. So with those thoughts running in her head, she called after the older woman, "No, Regina, wait!" Running a little so she could catch up with her, she continued, "Maybe if I help you, like we did with your foot –"

"Yes?" The woman raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, a smug smile trying its way up her lips, exactly what Emma had expected.

"Maybe I could help you." She said it again, more convincing this time. "And we could protect this place."

"What does it make you think I want your help, Miss Swan?"

"The fact you were throwing rocks all over the place was a small indication."

"I'm sorry to disappoint, my dear, but you are wrong. I don't need your help." Regina mentioned to move inside the palace making Emma place a shy hand on her left arm, stopping her almost immediately.

Regina glared at the hand touching her, causing Emma to pull her hand as if she had touched fire.

"What do I need to do?" Not paying attention to the irony of her move, the blonde stretched her hands, waiting for Regina to hold them as they had done the day before.

* * *

Mary Margaret had about ten different books in front of her, some notes resting on top of them and a lot of empty plastic coffee cups placed around the desk. David sat in front of her, a stack of books hiding him from her view.

The pixie haired woman inhaled deeply, refusing to let her tiredness take her down, but losing the battle. She glanced at the side and smiled at her friend who had passed out just a few minutes ago. Ruby was sleeping soundly, a book being used as a pillow and David's coat as a blanket. Turning her attention back to her books, Snow White accepted defeat.

"David, we are not getting anywhere." She said in a small voice, "I don't even know where else to look." Pressing her hands on her temples, she sighed. "We've tried every subject. Everything."

The man put some of the books down on the floor, and then reached for his wife's hands, squeezing it a little as they touched, "We are tired, we should go home, get some rest and then come back."

"We are wasting our time!" The woman's voice raised a notch and she quickly placed a hand on her mouth turning to see if she had startled Ruby, glad to see that the woman slept like a rock.

"Blue told us we have enough fairy dust to get the hat fixed. Leroy is turning the town upside down in search for Jefferson, we can't lose hope now."

"Every second we spend trying to find a way is another one Emma is lost!" Mary Margaret stood abruptly, pacing back and forth, trying to look for an answer she knew she wouldn't find. "We can't wait anymore. She might be in danger, David! We need to find her."

Understanding his wife's fears, and watching her as the panic took over her, he stood up too and walked towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders so she would stop. "We will –"

"Maybe you were right." Mary Margaret interrupted him, staring right into his eyes, realization hitting her, "We need to accept Gold's proposal and deal with the consequences afterwards." Her eyes were glossy with tears, yet full of certainty, "We need to bring her back, David. I cant loose my daughter again." The small woman lurched herself and hugged him as tight as she was able to, tears falling from her eyes. "Not again…" She whispered.

* * *

Much to the captain's surprise, Cora grinned at his final words. The woman was definitely content to have her daughter back.

"This is marvelous!" Cora laughed loudly, "Magnificent, even!"

Hook shook his head, chuckling a little, "I knew you'd be pleased,  _my Queen._ "

"And what did you tell her? Does she know about me?" As much as Cora wanted to remain stoic as she asked the questions, she couldn't hide the worry she was feeling. The man sensed it in the way the words were delivered, but for the love of his other limbs, he decided not to mention it.

"No." He sat, placing his foot over the table, "I only said I could help them to get back."

"Get back?" Cora paced around, "Why would she want to get back?"

"Blondie seemed more enthusiastic about it." Hook responded nonchalant, "But then again, we can't quite read Regina very well -"

"You can't." The old woman corrected him, "I most certainly can."

The captain glanced towards her, puzzled, "What are you saying? Will you show yourself?"

"No, my dear. My daughter also knows me better than I wish she did. You'll go to the Dark Palace again and will find out why they want to go back. If they are here, the curse is probably broken so there is no reason for my daughter to want to go back to that horrible place."

"It didn't sound so horrible to me…"

Cora lifted an eyebrow, glaring at him, which got the captain quiet in no time, she continued, "I want you to learn about this  _friend_ of hers too. There must be a reason why she is here with my daughter. Regina doesn't have friends." She approached him "Tell them about the compass."

"What?" Hook's foot hit the ground with a loud thump, "Why would I do that?"

"Because I'm telling you to. Have I ever disappointed you, my dear captain?" She cupped his face with one of her hands, smiling a big smile.

Hook accepted the caress, one brow lifted suspiciously, "What should I tell them about it?"

"Everything."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course I am! They will help you get it."

The captain stood up, steeping away from her, "And how will I know if I can trust them not to steal it from me?"

"You won't."

* * *

As it was expected, together they managed to have enough magic to create a protection spell around the palace.

Regina, with Emma's permission, absorbed part of the other woman's energy hoping that this would be the last time she'd need her. They didn't talk much this time around or dared to look at each other once the magic was floating from one body to the next. It felt more like a business they had to get done.

Afterwards, the women were drained, Emma surely more than Regina, as she was not used to using magic for such a long period. The former mayor was still trying to understand why her magic was so unreliable now, she could understand the difficulty when she was trying to get the hat to work back in Storybrooke – after all, magic did work differently there - but now that she was back at the Enchanted Forest, it made no sense.

Without saying a word, Regina turned on her hills and entered the castle. Followed by Emma, they walked towards the kitchen. The brunette opened the cupboard and started with the cooking, acting as if she had done this her whole life, which Emma truly knew she hadn't.

The younger woman sat on a stool in front of the servants eating table. "That comes so natural to you." She pointed around when Regina turned to her with a questioning look on her face. "No offense, but I find it hard to believe you used to mingle with your minions, being a queen and all."

"First of all, they weren't my  _minions._ " The woman turned back to light up the wood-fired oven, "Not  _these_  people, for that matter." She added with a mirthless grin, "Second, cooking was always one of my passions and I used to sneak in the kitchen and help Madam Bea all the time while growing up."

Emma didn't expect an honest answer – or any answer for that matter – so she just stared at the woman's back, while she moved gracefully around the room. "She taught me almost everything I know."

The blonde could tell Regina was smiling, even though she still had her back turned to her. There was something about her voice, soft and calm. Emma couldn't help but smile herself.

Since the curse had broken Regina was different, the sheriff still couldn't pinpoint how, but looking at the woman in front of her, she knew something was odd. When she – and her newfound parents – saved the brunette from the mob, Regina still kept her head up high, the attitude of a Queen. But at the same time, she didn't fight, she let them take her to the station and lock her up without a single argument. Emma didn't think about it at the time, but now, everything seemed really out of character for the Evil Queen everyone was calling her.

"Regina?" Emma called, memories coming back to her, "Why did you let us lock you up?"

"Excuse me?" The older woman glanced at her over her shoulders.

"When the mob attacked you, why did you let us?" Emma repeated.

"Henry was with you." The former queen replied matter-of-factly.

"Yes, but –"

"I don't want my son to see me as The Evil Queen." She interrupted whatever Emma was about to say, "I want him to see me as his mother. I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that, Miss Swan."

Regina looked away again, placing some fresh bread on a tray, "I know you believe I'm an unfit parent." She continued, taking the tray over to the table, "But I do love my son and I'd do anything for him."

Their eyes locked and Emma smiled awkwardly at yet another unexpected confession from the brunette. And, taking the opportunity, she continued with her questions.

"Why did you lie?"

The former queen's eyebrows rose up, "Care to be more specific?"

"After the wraith's attack, we went back to your office." Emma started, the other woman nodded at her words, "And you had Jefferson's hat with you."

"Who's Jefferson?" Regina asked in the same tone she had asked before.

"I know you're lying! Why won't you admit you know him?"

"I have no idea what or of whom you're talking about, dear."

Emma studied her face, her personal lie detector screaming: lie. "Regina, why?"

Not breaking eye contact, the brunette gave a deep intake of breath, "I will not talk about this, Miss Swan."

"Oh dear God, please tell me you didn't kill him!" Emma took her hands to her head.

* * *

"Well, well dearie. You have a whole town looking for you." Mr. Gold crossed his hands on top of his cane, staring at the figure tied up in a chair right in the middle of his storage room, "What do you say we talk?" The imp giggled enthusiastically, "No, what about: I talk, you listen."

The man looked up at him, his mouth taped and a purple bruise coloring his cheeks. He blinked in acceptance.

"Good," Gold approached him, "Because I have a deal to propose." He leaned a little closer and ripped the tape from the man's mouth, "Now dear, I will not take no for an answer."


	6. The Hat

_**Disclaimer:**  Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and all the characters belong to ABC and the creators. No copyright infringement intended._

**Chapter 6: The Hat**

Regina had her back turned to the blonde, hands placed flat on top of the old fashioned cupboard, supporting her body. Her head was slightly bent down, her eyes fixed on the surface of the furniture. She had no answers to Emma's incessant questioning and she couldn't help the thoughts invading her head.

"For God's sake Regina, just tell me. Did you kill him?" Emma's voice was louder now. She had been pushing the woman for quite a while. Standing up, the blonde walked towards her, crossing her arms as if the gesture could protect her. Emma stopped moving when she got close enough not to be considered invasive, yet, Regina could still feel her proximity. But the woman didn't turn around, her mind travelling to her final moments in Storybrooke.

_She was in the hospital when the curse broke, crying in front of them – Emma and_ _**her** _ _son – watching as they hugged and kissed each other, a display of affection she'd never received from the boy – would never receive, she mentally corrected herself._

Regina tightened her grip on the cupboard, her knuckles turning white from clutching it so hard. Emma's eyes followed her movement, stepping back a little.

_The former mayor remembered running away from the duo as fast as she could, tumbling on her way out, leaning on the walls for support as she closed her eyes, struggling not to let out the sobs she was holding in, but the tears were coming fast and hard, unbalancing each step she'd take._

_Regina knew it would take only a few more minutes before the whole town turned against her. She took a deep steadying breath to compose herself. She couldn't let her emotions get in the way, not again, not ever. Another long breath, and with that the tears were gone and so was her desperation._

_Once outside, Regina noticed the townspeople_ _**finding** _ _each other, hugging and crying with joy. It caused her to scoff inwardly, walking faster to her car. She turned it on almost immediately, wanting to get away from that place and those people as fast as she could._

"Regina." Emma tried again. She stretched one arm to touch the other woman on the shoulder, but gave up when she noticed how rigid the brunette's body looked. "Just tell me –"

Regina flinched at the softness behind Emma's tone. How could she explain why she had lied? In fact, how could she explain why she felt the need to tell her the truth?

_She was driving to her mansion, the only place she knew would protect her, when she glanced outside her window and she saw them: Gold and Belle, walking hand in hand, in the direction of the forest. Regina's heart skipped a beat, her eyes glued to the couple. Then she heard a scream, causing her to step abruptly on the breaks. A little girl was in the middle of the street, afraid the woman would run her over. As the car stopped, Regina turned her attention to the girl. She stared at the child while she pointed at her, screaming at the top of her lungs:_

" _The Evil Queen!"_

_Regina rolled her eyes, watching as some people glared at her direction. A man quickly ran and grabbed the girl by the waist, moving her out of the way, cursing words Regina couldn't quite understand from inside the vehicle. Afraid the people would decide to run to her car instead of away from it, she glanced around, trying to see in how much danger she'd be in. She then spotted Jefferson, his eyes glued on the same direction Gold and Belle had walked into seconds before, a smirk plastered on his face._

_**Jefferson** _ _. Regina drove as close to him as possible, almost running him over._

" _Get in!" She yelled, leaving no space for argument. The reason why he did enter her car she still couldn't tell, maybe the man imagined she had her powers back or was afraid for his daughter's well-being, she wondered at the time._

How could she admit to Emma Swan that she knew the man? That she was the one delivering one tied up Jefferson to Gold, telling the imp he was the one helping her to keep Belle locked up, only for her own personal gain? Because Regina knew Rumpelstiltskin very well, and all she cared about from the moment she stepped inside the pawnshop door to the one she pushed the Mad Hatter inside was to find a way to save herself. Although Regina was well aware that Gold wouldn't believe her, she knew that Jefferson would buy her some time to work on a better strategy. Closing her eyes again she remembered the imp walking to her cell and burning her skin with the wraith's mark. She sighed. The plan hadn't quite worked as expected.

Emma sighed out of frustration, "Did. You. Kill. Him?" She asked for the millionth time.

Regina chuckled, composing herself and turning to stare at the other woman. Their eyes locked immediately.

No. She had not killed the man with her bare hands but she was definitely an accomplice to whatever had happened to him. And, considering the atrocities Gold would surely do to Jefferson, the brunette knew she wouldn't be cut short on the blame. At first Regina didn't feel any regret, after all, the Mad Hatter was the one to bring her the apple that almost killed her son, but then again, who was she trying to fool?  _She_  was the one to blame for Henry's near death. Looking at the blonde in front of her, she felt defeated once more. It didn't matter where she'd run or who she'd use, the ending would be always like this: Regina would always lose.

Emma kept staring at her, waiting for an answer Regina didn't have. Lying had become second nature to her, it was as easy as breathing and there was no remorse coming out of it. But truth be told, since the moment she'd seen her son on that hospital bed, everything changed.

* * *

After a long conversation, Mr. Gold walked towards the exit of the storage room, turning off the light to leave. "I'll come back for you later." He said with his back turned to the man.

"Rumpelstiltskin!" He called out, causing the older one to turn and look at him.

"Yes, dear?"

"I'll do it." He said with greeted teeth.

The dark one laughed, and it echoed throughout the room, a glimpse of the creature he once was. "I know you will,  _Mad Hatter_." The man closed the door and left.

As soon as he was back behind the counter, the sound of the door opening brought his eyes up to look at the figure entering the shop.

"Mist-Mister Gol- Mr. Gold." The sturdy man stammered. "I have what you asked for."

He approached the counter slowly, handing the man a large paper bag. His hands shaking a little, a drop of sweat falling from his forehead. "Can I –" He swallowed hard, then continued, "Can I have my –"

The older man inspected the bag, pleased to see the garment inside. "There." He grabbed the man's old red beret and then thrust it at him, "Now leave my shop, Mr. Smee."

* * *

Snow wasn't one for giving up hope. She always knew, deep in her heart, that in a way or another everything would be fine and that she would get her happy ending. That was why she decided that sending her daughter away was the right thing to do, because she was positively certain that Emma would find a way to break the curse and save them. Then they'd be reunited and live happily ever after.

What the small brunette wasn't counting on was the fact that it would take her daughter almost thirty years to complete her destiny. But nonetheless, she tried to remain as positive and happy as possible under those circumstances, because in the end, they'd win.

At least, that was what she was trying to convince herself of for the past four hours. Good would always win. So she didn't really have to worry about accepting Gold's awful proposal, because in the end, they'd find a way to make it all right.

That didn't mean she wasn't feeling so much lighter now that her grandson – her eleven-year-old grandson, she reminded herself – had stormed into the library, followed by one breathless granny, with his storybook in hand, screaming he'd found a way.

Ruby nearly fell from her chair, startled by the boy's high-pitched voice. She glanced around, remembering where she was and what she was supposed to be doing. Grabbing a book quickly, the woman pretended she'd been reading all along.

"Henry, honey, what are you saying?" Snow left Charming's embrace to walk near the boy.

"Here!" He placed the book on top of the desk, opening it and pointing at one specific detail they'd missed.

"The well." David said almost to himself.

Henry nodded cheerfully, "Yes!" He added, "It says here that the well is magic, so maybe it just needs a trigger or something for it to work, now that the curse is broken and everything. We should at least check it out."

Snow couldn't help but place her hand softly on top of the boy's head, caressing him tenderly, his excitement warming her heart, and she wondered if that was what little Emma would sound like while telling one of her tales. The thought caused her heart to ache. She took her free hand to her chest, as if it would help ease the pain.

"You are right, Henry. We should definitely check it out." The newfound prince smiled, one hand squeezing lightly at the boy's shoulders. "Snow and I will go to the well. Ruby, can you get Blue and meet us there?"

The woman nodded, standing immediately to leave.

"Henry, you stay with Granny, ok? It's way past your bedtime and both your mothers wouldn't be very pleased if they knew you were up this late." Snow tried, smiling lovingly at him.

"But I want to help."

"You already did." David intervened, "I promise I'll take you there myself tomorrow if we find something, ok?"

"Do you promise?"

"Yes, I do."

* * *

It was a cold night in Storybrooke, the kind of night when one had to wear their heaviest coat, sprinkles of rain falling from the dark sky.

Jefferson had his hands magically tied, a glowing rope around his wrists, as he walked in front of Mr. Gold, towards the old well in the middle of the forest, following the man's directions.

"We shall stop now." The elder's voice echoed among the trees as he clicked his fingers, freeing Jefferson's hands, "You understand what you have to do, right, dearie?" He limped closer to him, unkind eyes locked oh his, "You will find them and you will bring them back to me." The voice was slow now, yet fierce and strong.

The Mad Hatter nodded once, "And what about my daughter?"

"What about her?" He grimaced at being questioned.

"You said you'd let her be if I did this."

"No." Gold placed one finger up, "What I said was: for me to believe you had nothing to do with my dear Belle's  _incarceration_ , you have to go to the Enchanted Forest and bring me my price." He poked the man hard in the chest, "The Queen and The Savior themselves. Then, nothing will happen to your precious little daughter."

Jefferson sighed in frustration, "You do not dare touch my Grace." His words held the same passion as Gold's, who only chuckled at the man's audacity, "How will I come back?"

Mr. Gold clicked his fingers again, and Jefferson's old hat magically appeared, he shoved it to the man, "That is for  _you_  to find out."

Jefferson took the hat in his hands, breathing heavily.

"There is no way I can leave this world through my hat." He glanced at Gold, "Or come back here."

"You will find a way. You wouldn't want your little girl feeling abandoned for the second time now, would you, dearie?" He approached the well, moving his right hand in an almost majestic way, a wand appearing in his hand, the same one he had showed Mary Margaret and David a couple days ago. "And for  _that_  I have a solution."

The dark lord closed his eyes, breathing in slowly. A green glow appeared at the tip of the wand, he motioned it towards the well. Once everything was covered in a dark green smoke, he searched in his pocket for a small glass flask, "Our Queen's tears…" He smirked opening the container, placing its content inside the well. "Throw the hat inside." Gold said to one startled Jefferson. "It will lead you to where you need to be."

The Mad Hatter did as he was told, watching as the hat absorbed the magic from the well, opening one big portal. He looked up at the man in front of him, watching as he stepped backwards. He understood the sign. It was time for him to go.

* * *

Emma eyed the woman in front of her. It was so difficult to read Regina most of the times. The former Queen had built such a strong wall around herself and there wasn't even a tiny crack to help Emma understand what was behind it. Their eyes were locked in one another, both waiting patiently for someone to break the silence.

The staring contest was held for a while longer, until Regina broke the contact, leaving Emma somewhat dazzled. The blonde smiled inwardly, shaking her head a little, and sat down waiting for the woman to speak.

"Jefferson used to be a _friend_." Regina spoke somehow softly.

Emma watched Regina more carefully now. She wasn't sure if she was more impressed with the fact Regina would finally tell her the truth or that the woman had actually just called the crazy man a friend. She refrained from speaking, waiting for Regina to continue. After all, she knew that if she said a single word, it would cause the former mayor to close off again.

Regina took a seat beside her, avoiding their gazes to meet again as she continued. "He helped Rumpelstiltskin to trick me into believing they could bring someone back from the dead. Someone I loved dearly." As the words left her lips, the woman sounded so small, Emma's heart clenched involuntarily inside her chest. Regina stared at the wall ahead of them, as if she was talking to herself. "That's how I met him."

Emma bit the inside of her cheeks, not knowing if she should say something or just wait. Her anxiety got the best of her, "I thought you said you were friends." She said absentmindedly.

"Things are different in this world, dear." Regina turned her head to finally look at her again. "Our morals in this world and what we learn here are completely different from what you are accustomed to. There are no shades of gray, Miss Swan. It's either black or white. Friend or enemy.  _Evil_  or good."

Emma took a moment to process this. She remembered Henry's book and the stories she read on it. Regina was right. Everything about this  _world_  of them was so different from what she knew. The people in it were nothing like how she was. And as much as she wanted to understand it all, every time she stopped to think about it, she found it more and more impossible to. Her head started hurting again, or was it hurting before? She was so used to the feeling now that it didn't even bother her anymore.

"Why did you lie?" Her words were not as accusatory as before, Emma sounded more curious than anything.

Regina tensed instantly and the blonde could tell how she was struggling with her words, as the former Queen uncharacteristically started to fidget, her fingers picking at invisible scraps at the wood table.

"It's a long story…" Regina began.


	7. The Well

_**Disclaimer:**  Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and all the characters belong to ABC and the creators. No copyright infringement intended._

**Chapter 7: The Well**

Emma studied Regina as she said her last words, she was intrigued by the fact the woman hadn't said anything else about her past with Jefferson, just mentioning the things that had happened back in Storybrooke. She was even tempted to interrupt her a few times – with more questions than she thought possible for her brain to come up with – but decided to ignore them for the moment, focusing on the subject at hand.

"Ok, so you were your  _Regina self_  and delivered an innocent man to Gold, knowing what he could do." Emma rolled her eyes, what else could she expect of Regina anyway? What to expect of anything after all that had been happening in her life those past days? She was in fact relieved the woman hadn't killed him herself. Emma decided not to go any further into the details of the woman's story. She still remembered how Jefferson had tied Mary Margaret up and got her locked up too, so even though she didn't agree with Regina's way of doing things, the man had it coming. He was no prince Charming, that was for sure. Staring at the woman beside her, she pondered, "That still doesn't explain why you lied that you didn't know him." Emma chose to say instead, not really sure why that was the question she opted for among so many others, that seemed more important.

Regina let out a frustrated sigh, "He is no innocent man, Miss Swan. Didn't you hear everything I just told you?"

And Emma had listened. She paid attention to every word Regina said with a lot of care. After all it was the first time she had Regina admitting something she had done, and if Emma really looked, she'd see bits of regret on the other woman's eyes. It was so out of character, having the woman willingly telling her what she'd done to the Jefferson, so the blonde inhaled deeply, not wanting to spoil the moment with their bickering, ready to ask again, more softly now.

"I didn't want to answer questions about him." Regina interrupted her thoughts.

"What?" Emma puzzled, turning to look at the woman again.

"When you asked if I knew him, back at my house, I didn't want you and your  _parents_  asking about his whereabouts. It would make things… even more complicated." The 'for me' part of her sentence was omitted, but Emma could hear it nonetheless.

Even though what the woman had said made complete sense, Emma couldn't help the feeling in the pit of her stomach that was telling her this was not the whole truth. Regina was still hiding something, but the younger woman could not point out what is was. Staring deep into the brunette's eyes, she could see there was something else she wanted to say but wouldn't. And why wouldn't she? Emma Swan would not let it go. So she pushed again, watching the protuberant lines in the woman's forehead harden at her new question, her hands closing into tight fits on top of the table.

"So why tell me the truth now?"

As expected, Regina stood up, moving away from her gaze. "I believe we are done with this conversation, dear." was the simple reply.

"No." Emma said suddenly, one hand outstretched to hold Regina's writs. "We are not, Regina."

"Excuse me?" Her tone matched the glare she threw Emma's way, abruptly pushing her arm free.

Emma was certain she had crossed a line right there, but pushed the feeling away, standing up just to stop right in front of the other woman, not daring to break eye contact.

"It's the least you could do." Emma walked a bit further, cornering Regina in front of the cupboard, afraid the woman would just walk away from the kitchen, "If it wasn't for you and your  _insanity_ , I wouldn't be here to begin with. And God knows I'm not just talking about being in the middle of a fairytale land!"

"What in heavens could you possibly be talking about then, Miss Swan?"

"This." She motioned her hand at Regina and then back to herself, "This  _need_  to believe you are not some crazy murderer that shows no remorse whatsoever. But that you actually  _have_  something else underneath this Evil Queen façade. That you are human."

Regina chuckled in disbelief. But Emma was not fooled by it. She could finally see a crack under the woman's walls. The way her eyes blinked, slightly shocked at her words. And how her lips parted a bit as if she needed to argue in her own defense at being human, or even how she'd stepped back a little to avoid any more personal contact. Emma saw it all in a flash. But as soon as the vulnerability came it was taken away from her. It took only another second for Regina's features to darken again, causing Emma to sigh deeply.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, dear. But that's all there is." Regina's stoic words did nothing to remind her who she was.

"Damnit Regina, you are so frustrating!" Emma glared at her, hands up in the air in surrender. The woman was impossible. So Emma did the only thing she could do and stooped down to her level, "If we want to go back to Henry –" And there it was again: the vulnerability, as soon as Emma's lips pronounced their son's name. Regina took another step away from her, crossing her arms on her chest. "If you truly want to go back to him, you need to swallow up this ridiculous pride of yours and  _trust_  me. That is the only way I'll give you a chance and trust  _you_  back. And looking at our possibilities here, I dare to say we need each other. We have no one else."

"I work alone." The response was automatic, and she didn't sound as sure as she certainly wanted.

"Well, too bad." Emma replied sincerely, "Because Henry needs both his mothers and I'm not letting him down this time, so you can get this bad attitude and shove it." Emma ignored the woman's body language and stepped forward, inches away from her face, "Because you  _know_  you need me, at least for now when, let's be honest here, you don't even control your own magic." She watched as Regina's eyes moved, conflicted at her words, and before she could snap back, she continued, softer this time, "I'll leave you alone now, but next time I ask you something you will answer me without a second thought, because until we step foot in Storybrooke  _we_  are a team, whether you like it or not."

Moving slowly away from the woman, Emma left the room.

* * *

Snow couldn't believe her eyes. Her grip on her husband's hand tightened significantly as her gaze travelled at the sight in front of them. Her eyes following from the bright glow at the tip of Gold's wand to the green mist surrounding the well. She had no idea what was possibly going on, but she could tell by the frightened look on Jefferson's features that it wasn't anything good.

She was about to step forward when she felt David pulling her back, they exchanged a brief look; the woman understood his need to protect her. It was definitely the David Nolan part of him showing its personality, that part that believed Mary Margaret was some sort of porcelain doll that needed protection. So she smiled at him, reassuringly, causing him to smile back in return, seeing the fierce Snow White standing in front of him, not the school teacher he had grown so found of, and with a small nod he let her go.

"Gold! What are you doing?" Snow approached them almost running into the well herself, "You did it. You opened a portal!"

Mr. Gold turned his gaze at the couple, smiling widely as if he knew they'd be there somehow. "It seems like I did, didn't I?" If it was possible to smile even wider he'd surely do it.

Snow locked eyes with him, she despised the man. And as much as she wanted not to be touched by that feeling she couldn't help it. He was the reason behind all of this, he had manipulated Regina from the start, not to mention herself, she was also nothing more than just another piece in his terrible, terrible game.

"The hat –" she connected the dots as her eyes locked with Jefferson's. The man seemed frozen in his spot, not able to communicate with her. Snow turned her attention back to the older man, the last events crashing in the back of her mind. Gold knew where Jefferson had been all this time, he watched them turn the town upside down after him. He also knew how to get the hat to work. Not to mention the well. They were being manipulated yet again.

As if reading his wife's mind, David stepped forward, standing right beside her. "What is this,  _Rumplestilskin_?"

"It is exactly what you think." The man limped slowly towards them, "Now, dearies, the correct question is: are you ready to accept my deal?"

Snow didn't even flinch. As soon as she saw the scene playing in front of her, she understood it all. So the question didn't surprise her at all, in fact, she was just waiting for it to come out of the dark one's lips, it was just a matter of time. And in spite of herself, she also knew the answer that left her lips seconds later.

"Yes."

* * *

The bar was empty, as it was every single night for as long as he could remember. Hook sat with his feet placed on top of the table, holding a bottle that was now half empty. Adjusting himself in his position, he took a long gulp from his drink, wiping his mouth clean with the back of his hand. After Cora had forbidden him to stay in his own ship, he'd kicked – quite literally, plus punched and threatened to death – every person who'd dare walk in the bar and named himself the new owner. And for what seemed liked years, he would come to his new home and drink himself to sleep, until the day he decided to man up and face  _the witch_ , he would get his precious Jolly Roger back or he'd be damned.

Little did he know, because you see, the plan did not go as the captain expected, and he will forever blame the amount of alcohol he ingested that day for losing the battle. Moving again in his seat, he grimaced, still feeling the pain in his bones from that gloomy day. Cora had him beaten up so badly that his only memory is from the moment he woke up: blood-faced and tied to an old tree in the middle of the forest.

It took him three long days before he'd untied himself, another three more to find Regina's palace. And once he did, he never left. Well, that was until Regina herself came back claiming the place as her own.

What's with these Mills women and their need to leave him homeless? The man chuckled again, his inebriated state taking over his body and mind.

"Bloody witches." He mumbled before taking another sip.

His last conversation with Cora did nothing to calm his nerves. He was tired of waiting, tired of being told what to do. So many years had passed and he still had to live with the knowledge that the crocodile lived. At least back in Neverland he had Peter Pan to make things more interesting, not to mention the adorable Tinkerbell. He chuckled loudly this time, taking another mouthful, reliving the memories in the back of his mind. Who would know he'd end up trapped in yet another land where time was stuck still? And who would say he'd be in this place again, drinking his sorrows away? Mourning over the loss of his dearest Milah and the way he'd failed her in his revenge.

But tomorrow would be different. He had gotten himself another chance. He'd go to the dark palace and convince the two women he was at their side. For once, he'd stick to the plan and follow Cora's rules. Help the ladies get  _him_  the compass and finally kill Rumplestilkin.

* * *

Regina finished her dinner, she didn't call Emma when it was ready nor did she wait for her when the blonde showed up behind her – probably smelling thefood from God knows where she had spent the last two hours. Regina didn't care anyway. So Instead, as soon as the sheriff's form crossed her sight line, she grabbed her plate off the rustic kitchen's table and left to the dining room.

Now, Regina stared at her empty silverware, surprised – not to mention a bit intrigued – that Emma Swan hadn't followed her. It had been what, almost forty minutes since she left the woman behind?

The former Queen tilted her head slightly to the side, trying to get a glimpse through the long corridor that led to the kitchen.  _Nothing_ , no sign of the idiotic blonde. She sighed absent-mindedly.

Regina couldn't remember the last time she had a true ally. Most of her accomplices were forced to help her, but Miss Swan was different, maybe it was part of her knightly personality, but her insistence to get Regina to believe she wanted nothing more than to help was overwhelming. The woman's eyes rested at the chair across from her, at end of the table, causing her to stiff immediately. That was the place where her dear father used to sit and join her for their meals together. Henry Mills Sr. was a good man, one that willingly wanted nothing more than to be by his daughter's side.  _Just like the Savior herself._

The memories of her father brought tears to her eyes, which she instantly held back, preventing them from falling. The images of his blood on her hands burning in her irises, constricting her airways, it was suddenly very difficult to breathe.  _So was that what remorse felt like?_ Regina closed her eyes shut, with as much force as she could manage. Her hands closed into fists on her lap, she tried to concentrate, to ease the pain away.

The woman could feel her heart pounding loudly and fast inside her chest, small drops of sweat started forming in her forehead, and she wouldn't dare open her eyes. It was too much. What was happening to her? Regina felt like she was having a heart attack, she tried hard to inhale but something wouldn't let her and, if she wasn't sitting, it was most likely that she'd pass out. Her legs and hands were trembling, hell, her whole body was shaking.

Breathing rapidly to try to gain control of her body again, she dared to open her eyes, just to lock them with jaded ones. How long had Emma Swan been watching her?

* * *

This turned out to be the longest day ever, Mary Margaret realized as she played absent-mindedly with the napkin in front of her. After the latest events, they had called Ruby and quickly told her about the change in their plan: they would meet back at the diner instead of the forest. Blue could join them there.

As soon as they arrived, they filled the other two women in about what happened at the well. Blue decided she'd go to the mines and inform Leroy about it too, they would need to be more careful protecting the fairy dust now that they knew the well had such strong power. So she left, leaving the three old friends alone.

"There was no escape, Red. He tricked us. Again." Mary Margaret took a sip from her hot cocoa, defeat getting the best of her. She was still very much in shock regarding what she had to do, blaming herself for not realizing Mr. Gold was playing them all along, "If I said no, God knows what he would've done. The portal was already open and we were running out of time. We had to be sure Emma was safe."

The waitress smiled sympathetically, reaching across the table to hold her friend's hands in hers, "I understand. You don't need to explain yourself to me, Snow, never. You always do the right thing."

Snow smiled in return but it didn't reach her eyes, "How am I going to tell Henry about it? How am I supposed to tell my grandson that we might as well have killed his mother?"

"You won't." Red replied simply, like she was saying that the sky was blue, preventing Snow to go any further, "First we will figure out a way to save Regina." She paused, "Did I really say that out loud?" Then she flashed one of her most honest, big smiles, and this time, her friend smiled back truthfully, causing Red to squeeze her hands a little bit. "There you go. We'll find a way, we always do."

David approached them, his own hot chocolate in hands.

"Henry is sound asleep." He told them before sitting next to his wife.

They remained silent for a while, each one lost in their own world. Neither imagining they'd be in such a mess after the curse broke. Wasn't it supposed to restore everyone's happy endings?

Ruby was the one to break the quietness, "We should try talking to Belle."

Husband and wife exchanged puzzled looks, the name sounding unfamiliar to both of them.

"She is Gold's girlfriend. Or at least I think she is." The woman explained, "She stopped by at the diner the other day, she acted a bit strange, I've got to give you that, but seemed more lost than dangerous."

"Do you think she'd help us?" Snow asked.

"If this Belle is associated with Gold in any way, I don't think we should trust her." David added quickly.

Ruby shrugged, "We should give her the benefit of the doubt at least. I can talk to her, see what her deal is."

Snow immediately flinched at the word, causing the other woman to mouth a small 'sorry'.

"I don't know, Ruby." David was about to continue, but stopped when Mary Margaret touched his hand.

"She is right. Belle can be our way out."


	8. The Regret

****Disclaimer:** ** _Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and all the characters belong to ABC and the creators. No copyright infringement intended._

****Chapter 8:** The Regret**

Emma was not sure if she should stay where she was or if she should just approach the woman. And the way Regina was looking at her – not her usual intimidating glare – didn't make it easier for the blonde to make a decision. There was something underneath those eyes that Emma couldn't quite decipher.  _Resentment_?

"This is all your fault!" The accusation in Regina's tone startled Emma, causing her to finally snap out of her inner ramblings and move.

"I'm sorry but what is it that I did now?" She walked closer to her, trying not to stare at the woman's shaking hands, yet doing exactly that.

As if sensing Emma's eyes on her hands, Regina stood up, crossing her arms on her chest, her mask immediately back on.

"If it wasn't for your absurd insistence in stupid conversations I wouldn't –", the woman stopped herself mid-sentence, as if she was about to share a big secret. Shaking her head, Regina took one hand up and placed it right above her heart, as if the act itself would keep it steady.

"Go on." Emma pushed, one eyebrow raised up in defiance, she studied the brunette in front of her for what felt like the millionth time that day. And, to be honest, Emma wasn't used to this, it was exhausting, not to mention frustrating. She never had to analyze people like that, and it was not like she enjoyed doing it. One of her abilities as a bounty hunter was exactly the opposite: one look and she could read the person entirely, and not even her most difficult case would come close to the complexity of Regina Mills. "Yeah, right. I thought so." She added, knowing Regina would give her nothing but silence in return. Irritated, she decided to go back upstairs and stay as far away as she could.

It was not until she noticed the other woman's fast breathing that Emma stopped on her tracks. She turned slowly. Regina had her eyes closed again and her body was visually trembling. Emma sighed. As much as she didn't want to, she was losing her patience. The Sheriff was ok dealing with angry Regina – she understood that –, but  _this_ Regina, that was a whole new experience. And Emma was  _not_  ready for that.

The former Queen sat down again, ignoring the footsteps approaching her.

When Emma walked in the dining room and saw Regina's state, all she wanted was to go back to the kitchen, and pretend she hadn't seen anything. But it was like she was glued to the floor somehow, frozen in place and all she could do was to stare at the woman in front of her. And suddenly brown eyes were locked on hers. The only time Emma had seen Regina that broken was only a few days ago, when they both thought they had lost Henry. But not even the image of Regina crying in the hospital came close to what she saw today. And that was  _terrifying_.

Their last conversation hadn't been that emotional. Emma tried to go back to Regina's words, but nothing seemed significant enough to leave Regina like that. The woman was as strong as a rock.

Emma was only an inch away from her now, still lost in thought. Regina had mentioned the loss of someone she loved, Emma pondered.  _Maybe it was that?_

"Hey… It's ok. Talk to me." Emma decided. It would do her no good to leave Regina alone now, the woman was definitely going trough the motion and  _that_  combined with Regina's history of evil deeds did not sound like a good thing. Not when Emma desperately wanted to go back home and couldn't do it alone.

"I can't." Her reply was lower than a whisper, her eyes still closed, "I just… I can't."

The way the former Queen was acting was so out of character, at least in Emma's eyes, and she wasn't sure how to approach the situation. Out of instinct, the blonde thought about her best friend, -  _her mother_ , she corrected herself – and how she would know exactly what to do. Even with Regina, Mary Margaret would certainly know how to react and make things better.

Emma bent down on her knees, slowly placing her hands on each one of the woman's shoulders. Regina didn't move, which caused Emma to let out a long sigh in relief, "What the hell is happening to you?" She asked, as softly and kind as she was able to, trying once again to get into the other woman's head.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Emma remembered the way Mary Margaret always had the right thing to say, how she would just bring a cup of hot chocolate – cinnamon on top – say the perfect words, always with a smile on her face, and Emma would know everything would be ok. For a moment, she imagined how life would've been like if that kind woman had raised her, she wondered what kind of person she'd turn out to be. Inhaling deeply, she opened her eyes and looked at Regina again. She seemed so small, so  _not_ Regina.

"Yes, you can do this." Emma tried again, "Here is the thing, you need to talk to me, ok? Although you hate talking, especially to me, but you have to. You are having an anxiety attack or something and the only way I can help you is by talking to you, alright?"

How crazy would Emma's life be from now on? She was helping  _The_  Evil Queen to snap out of a panic attack. The blonde tried hard not to start laughing, which she would do in the real world, because that was how she acted under pressure. But she wasn't in  _her_ real world anymore now, was she? Emma had suddenly become the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.  _The savior_. So she'd better start acting like one.

Regina nodded slowly, eyes still closed, "It's my –" She cut herself off, not able to go any further.

Emma kept staring at her. She didn't really believe her words would have any effect on the woman, so she just stared, hoping she'd complete her sentence.

"Go on." Emma repeated the words she had said a few moments earlier, reassuring this time, without judgment or malice. She watched as Regina's lips trembled. She wanted to continue but something was holding her back. The woman's pride was something Emma understood quite well, the inability to open up, the fear of trusting someone else. All of that hit home. Hard. "Your what? You  _can_  trust me, Regina." She squeezed the woman's shoulders slightly.  _Mary Margaret would do that._ Emma thought, biting her lower lip.

Regina opened her eyes, and flashed a small smile that didn't reach her eyes, "My father hated this palace." She glanced around, "He wanted us to move back to our old home."

Emma nodded, out of politeness more than anything else, she wanted to make sure Regina knew she was paying attention and that she could continue talking.

"He really believed I could go back to that place." Regina's eyes watered and Emma felt her own heart constrict in her chest. Regina could not cry in front of her, not when they were standing so  _damn_  close to each other. But before she could do or say anything else, the woman continued, "After everything  _she'd_  done. How could I?"

Their eyes locked. Emma tried saying something but the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. She had no idea what Regina was trying to say to her. And as she watched Regina's first tears falling, she realized she really did have  _no_  idea who the woman in front of her was. There were so many untold stories in Henry's book, and Regina's was definitely the biggest one.

"After everything that  _I've_  done. How could I just start over?" Regina completed, the admission leaving her lips with a broken sob, said almost to herself. Her tears were falling freely now.

Emma's first instinct – even though surprising to her – was to take the woman into her arms and comfort her. But she couldn't do that, she abruptly took her hands off the woman's shoulders, as if suddenly the touch had burned her. And with that, she quickly stood up; breaking any contact they'd shared.

* * *

A thick dark green mist swirled around the forest, dissipating as Jefferson was pushed out of the vortex. The man stumbled, trying to find stability as his feet hit solid ground.

Glancing around, Jefferson spotted his old hat resting on top of a branch; he walked towards the tall tree reaching for the garment. Dusting it off for a while, he looked around again, trying to gather his bearings. He placed the hat on top of his head.

It didn't take too long for him to take a glimpse of the dark palace. The tower was coming to view right from the top of the hill. Remembering Gold's last words, he knew that was where he'd find Regina. But before he could do exactly that, Jefferson needed a plan. Otherwise, how would he be able to convince the woman he was to be trusted?

* * *

Regina cried and cried. She wanted to tell Emma what she had done. Not because it was Emma Swan right there comforting her, but because her heart was aching so much that she knew the only way for it to stop was to confess. To finally end it all, she wanted to scream, reveal her crimes. She had killed her own father. She needed to let Emma know what a real monster she was. But Regina was a coward, she had learnt from the best. Rumplestilskin taught her about power, how not to surrender to weakness, he taught her about his own cowardice and she'd mastered it. And, because of that, it was unacceptable to be crying like a child in front of the one person she'd lost everything to. But she couldn't help it. Not after everything she'd been through the past days: the thought of losing Henry, of being the one responsible for his death. Again, being the one to kill what she'd loved the most. Regina gasped, taking on hand over her mouth, unable to control her tears.

"Regina…" Emma's voice barely left her lips.

"Don't. Just… just leave me alone." She waved her hand in dismissal, as if Emma was nothing but a servant and should comply with her wishes.

"I don't think you –" The blonde insisted, finding strength in herself to walk towards her again. "You –"

Regina cut her off, staring right into her eyes, "Please." She mumbled softly.

And, as expected, the  _magic_  word caused Emma to stop, and for what seemed like a very long moment she held her gaze without saying anything else, until she finally moved.

"You know what? No." Emma said quickly, startling Regina in the process, "You are not ok. And as much as I want to, I will not leave you alone." She took the woman by the elbow, causing her to gasp, her thoughts lost in the process.

Regina was about to snap at her, but Emma wouldn't give her enough time, she babbled on instead, "And yes, I know: 'you rather be alone than with me', I get that 'I'm an awful company' and ´extremely irritating'." Emma pulled her up so that she was standing by her side, "But here is the thing, Regina, in case you didn't get the first time I told you this: we are a  _team_. And teams stick together, no matter how much of a pain the other party is, which just to be clear, means you."

Regina was so dumbstruck by the woman's attitude that she didn't even notice she had stopped crying. Emma was pulling her away from the dining room, where to, Regina couldn't tell. What she  _could_  tell though, was that it wasn't as hard to breath now and her heart pace was getting back to normal.

They walked outside, Emma didn't let go of the woman's arm, she was sure Regina would most certainly walk right back in if she did.

"Miss Swan, you better take your hand off of me or so help me –" She stopped herself mid-sentence, trying to remove her arm free from the younger woman's grip.

Emma smiled in spite of herself, noticing how Regina's voice didn't crack and how much more composed she looked.

"I will, if you promise not to run inside." She teased, trying to light up the mood a little more.

Regina glared at her, but it didn't hold any malice, and she could see Emma's expression soften in front of her eyes. She herself felt it too. And for the second time that day, Regina took one of her hands to place it right above her heart, but this time, just to check if what she was feeling was real. She felt it beating normally. The reason behind it, she couldn't point out yet. Maybe it was from after finally crying it all out, maybe because she had actually talked about it a little. Or maybe, just maybe, the reason why her heartbeat was back to a normal pace, her breathing was even and she wasn't as anxious anymore was because Emma Swan – of all people – had managed to make her feel  _safe_. The thought alone caused Regina to quiver, removing her hand from her chest; she tried again, pulling herself away from Emma. And if the blonde noticed how disheveled she'd suddenly become at their proximity she didn't show.

"Let go of me." Regina insisted, firmly this time.

"Ok, calm down." Emma smirked, releasing the grip on her arm before placing her hands up in surrender.

Regina rolled her eyes, felling a lot more like herself now, "And could you please enlighten me as to what exactly we are doing outside in the middle of the night?"

"Helping you." She replied shortly, and before Regina could complain, she added, "You are going to teach me magic."

"Oh, am I now?" Regina suppressed a sarcastic laugh.

"Yes!" Emma nodded, "It will help you focus on something else."

"I thought you were against the use of magic."

"I am. I mean, I think I am."

Regina was not sure what had caused her to consider the blonde's idea. Whether it was because she actually believed this would help her, or the fact that, when Emma spoke, she couldn't help noticing the resemblance with Henry - something she saw constantly in the woman's expressions.

"Eloquent as ever, dear." Regina chuckled mockingly, "But as apparently I'm completely beside myself tonight, I'll teach you."

"Are you serious?" Emma beamed.

Regina nodded, "But you will do as I say, there will be no talking back and definitely  _no_ playing. This is not a game, Miss Swan. Magic is a powerful thing."

"So you keep saying." Emma rolled her eyes, "Right, what should I do, then?"

Regina closed her eyes briefly in concentration, then moved her hands slowly, a bright purple mist appeared in front of them, and, as it dissipated, they could see a wooden table with a few objects on top of it. Emma glanced from the table and back to Regina. It looked like she was about to have a chemistry class straight from the dark ages.

"That was kind of cool." She grinned, still not used to witnessing magic happening like that, "What are those things?" Emma walked towards the table, reaching for one of the flasks placed near what seemed like a lab burner.

"No touching." Regina's tone got Emma to withdraw her hands from the object like a child would if she was being reprimanded by their parents. "It's for potions."

"That sounds boring." She replied while analyzing item by item.

"That sounds like your second lesson."

"Second?" Emma turned her attention to the woman beside her, lifting one eyebrow as she questioned her.

"I know you have the attention span of a five year old, Miss Swan, but tell me you at least remember something of the first one."

"Hmm… I'm not sure I remember." Emma squeezed her eyes as if she was trying hard to concentrate. The action was so forced Regina could tell the woman was making fun of her, "You mentioned something like: 'it doesn't matter what you plan on doing, simple or not, it has to come from the heart', am I correct, dear teacher?"

Regina fought the urge not to slap the woman in the head, just to wipe off that ridiculous grin from her face. But truth be told, she couldn't help feeling proud the Sheriff had paid attention to her words from the other day, so she decided to smile back at her, maliciously, nonetheless. She did have a reputation to uphold, after all.

"Well, well, who would have thought you aren't as stupid as you seemed to be."

"Thank you." Emma mocked back.

"Ok, now that your level of stupidity has been established, let's go through the ingredients..."

Regina started to explain what everything was, she would speak of every item with an absurd amount of details, Emma couldn't help but being impressed at the woman's knowledge.

They created a few potions together. Regina would tell her exactly what to do, step by step and the blonde would follow like a dedicated student. She paid as much attention as she could throughout the lesson, asking questions and showing honest interest in Regina's words.

Focusing on their latest experiment, Emma moved the yellowish liquid from one bottle to the other, paying extra care to every single move, not wanting to mess up with any of Regina's instructions. And when the flask color turned red, which was what they expected, Emma almost jumped out in awe, getting Regina to smile in spite of herself.

"I believe we are done for the night, Miss Swan." Regina said, pausing a bit. Unsure as to whether she should complete her sentence or not, she decided to do so, "We can continue this tomorrow, if you'd like."

"I'd love that." Emma replied sincerely.

Regina only nodded, making her way back to the palace. Before Emma could follow her, she stared at her hands, feeling the magic tingling in her fingertips. All they had done was create potions and although Emma would never admit, she felt like she wanted more. The sensation her body experienced when she let herself be in touch with her powers was still inside her, and somehow she wanted to feel that again.

Emma watched as her hands stared to glow, her whole body tingling. She looked at the wooden table in front of her, and decided she'd try to make it disappear. After all, Regina had made it appear quite easily. The woman inhaled deeply and aimed for the table, a flash of white light  _flew_  from her hands in its direction. The table remained in its place.

But suddenly an invisible wave of energy floated towards the castle's gate, surrounding the place and disappearing as quickly as it appeared. Emma's heart jumped inside her chest. Regina would kill her.

"What was that?" And as if reading her thoughts, the former Queen turned around, just in time to see the blonde staring back at her.

"Nothing. I mean, I've tried something, but it didn't work." She felt her hands getting clammy, so she wiped them on her jeans nervously, "I just –" Emma sighed, "You know what? Never mind. You are right, it's late, we should get inside."

Regina wanted to argue, but she was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than for that day to be over. She exchanged one last glance with the younger woman before walking in. And this time, Emma followed.


End file.
